


Raindrop Memories

by Galaxy_Jr



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Basically everyone at one point or another - Freeform, F/M, M/M, sorta slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-07-23 20:31:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16166456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxy_Jr/pseuds/Galaxy_Jr
Summary: The Poet Orchards farm on the edge of Pelican Town stayed empty for two years. Yet, after a band of four siblings decide to take the farm as their own and revive the now distraught landscape, it is filled with new life. The siblings, all with their own unique traits soon find farming is going to be the least of their hardships. Magic intertwines itself with their lives. Old ghosts come back to haunt them. New love burns itself in the siblings hearts. It might not be what they expected when they took over the farm, but they're in it together.





	1. [Arrival]

 

The air that drifted in through the buses' cracked windows was sweet- filled with a heavy floral scent. The skies were a gentle blue, and the clouds were few. Finn sighed, and he pressed his head against the cool glass of the window, eyes staring out at the green landscape sprawled out before him. Some of the darker shrubbery was almost the same evergreen as his hair, and he pulled in on himself, tugging the sleeves of his hoodie gently. It felt nice. 

For the past five years of his life, he had grown accustomed to the grey landscape that was Zuzu city. Even over the soft music that played from his earbuds, he swore he still heard the dull roar of engines on asphalt, and the honking of car horns. When he plucked an earbud out, merely for a moment, all that greeted him was the gentle chirping of the birds. 

Finn relaxed, leaning back into the old leather of the bus seats. Part of him still wondered if he was really doing this. Hell, most of him wondered if he was really doing it. However, his job had already been left behind, and his apartment would soon be filled with a new resident. Even if everything went south, he knew he couldn’t just run back to Zuzu. Well, his mom and dad had already told him he was welcome to stay at their place if things didn’t work out, but he’d rather not stay in his old room especially considering his twenty-fourth birthday was just around the corner. 

Of course, Finn wouldn’t have made the leap of faith if it wasn’t for his siblings diving in alongside him. Despite their eagerness to move in with him, Finn was still the first to be heading to the Valley their grandfather had called home for most of his life. His oldest brother Mike had to finish up some paperwork with his old job, and Ellie, his younger sister, was the same way. And, Raiden, well he had to do some paperwork of his own- to finalize his divorce from his wife, Chell. Once they wrapped everything up, then they’d be on their way. They had put their collective trust in Finn . Which, in all honesty, didn’t make any sense. They knew, as well as he knew, that if anything went wrong: it would happen under his watch. 

Finn just wondered if doubling up on his anxiety medication would maybe stop him from freaking out. Of course, he knew it wouldn’t, and he knew that it was a ridiculous idea. But, hey, taking over your grandfather’s farm to save it from a money hungry corporation was pretty ridiculous too. Although in reality,, Finn was on a bus, doing just that. He pulled at the sleeve of his hoodie again, biting the inside of his cheek. He stopped when tasted the first droplet of blood, choosing to tug his sleeve a bit harder. 

The bus ride passed in an almost routine fashion. Finn would stare out the window, listen to music, watch the landscape pass by in a blur, and he would have sporadic bits of elevated anxiety. All things said, it was okay. He was okay.

Yet, the bus grinded to a halt far too soon for his liking. He looked out the window, getting a view of a small bus station where a woman stood. A static voice crackled over the speakers, and his music was drowned out by the rather loud, “Welcome to Pelican Town.” Finn gulped, now or never. 

He stood up, doing his best to calm the shaking in his hand as he grabbed his bag. He passed the empty rows of seats in front of him. His eyes glanced out the windows, catching sight of the trees and patches of flowers. 

“You’ve got this.” Finn said to himself as he passed the bus driver. She shot him a weird look, and Finn tried not to think about it. He was not going to start off by embarrassing himself, like he always did. That plan lasted a solid five seconds. 

Finn took a small step off the bus, offering a wave, when he missed the last step. Wide eyed and with a sharp yelp, Finn smacked into the asphalt of the road. His bag landed somewhere in front of him, with a heavy thud. Before he even had a chance to stand up, the bus pulled off. The woman who had been waiting for him rushed over. Her voice had a large amount of concern, filled with a small twinge of amusement. Finn couldn’t blame her, but it seem like she was doing her best to hide her laughter. 

“Oh my! Are you alright?” Finn looked up, nodding slightly. “And here I thought my Sebby was accident prone.” She held out her hand, and Finn took it- brushing the dust off his jean. Finn got his glimpse at the woman when she held out her hand, a kind smile on her face. “I’m Robin, the town carpenter.” 

“Finn Poet.” He said, shaking her hand. “Sorry about that.” He added quickly while he grabbed his bag from the ground, slinging it over his shoulder. “I promise I’m not usually that much of a klutz.” Okay, now that was a lie. Finn knew his siblings could recount all of his childhood injuries easily. He just hoped it wouldn’t become a theme here like it had back in Zuzu. Robin smiled at him again, almost as if she could tell that he was lying. 

“No problem.” They stood there in awkward silence for a moment. Finn resisted the urge to pull the sleeve of his hoodie. “I did think there were going to be more of you. Mayor Lewis mentioned that all four of Andre’s grand kids would be moving in.” 

“Oh uhm, well life kinda caught up with the others. Ellie and Mike should be here next week… and Raiden-” Finn paused. “Maybe the early weeks of Summer if everything goes his way.” Robin nodded, her auburn colored hair shone in the sunlight. 

“Well no worries there.” Robin said, “we’re just happy to have you.” Finn wondered how long that would last. “Anyways, why don’t we get a head start on showing to the farm. Unless you remember the way there?” Sadly, Finn shook his head.

“I wish I did.” He admitted, “it’s just been so long.” He hadn’t really thought about it, but he knew it had been long since he’d visited the valley. It’d been too long. He hadn’t even known his grandfather was sick until his mother told him they were planning the funeral. He had been too wrapped up in college, therapy, and Adam to even think about his grandfather. Selfish. That’s what he had been. 

“Then I’ll be your tour guide.” Robin said, motioning for him to follow her. She turned around, and Finn followed behind her, finally able to tug at the sleeve of his hoodie. They turned onto a path and headed left. “If you go the other way, you’ll end up in town, but there’s no rush to getting you just there just yet.” There was humor in her voice, and Finn smiled softly. His sharp canine tooth pointing out of his mouth slightly. He’d always hated that tooth. “The walks only about ten minutes, nothing too extreme.” Finn nodded, looking out at the forest around him. 

The clear sky, had turned into an overhead of evergreen leaves where sparse rays of sunlight filtered through. The chirping of the birds was louder up close, more frequent. At one point, a small finch flew by, passing his eyes in a blur of yellow. He considered taking out his phone and snapping a quick picture to send to Ellie, she was going to love it here. “So, what made you all decide this was the year that you wanted to take over your grandfather’s farm?” 

“Uhmm.” He paused unsure of what to say. His fingers tapped against the hem of his jeans. “I guess none of us were where we really wanted to be in life. This farm gives us a chance to find that place, and to keep our grandfather’s memory alive.” Robin hummed in front of him. 

“Well, I’m not gonna lie, it’s not in the best shape. I did my best to try and it patch it up, but if you need anymore work down, I’m only a phone call away.” Finn nodded, ready to take her up on that offer when the path opened up, and a loud laugh greeted him. 

“Robin they’re just now moving in, maybe let them settle before you try and take all the gold they have.” Finn looked forward, seeing a weathered sign that read  _ Poet Orchard,  _ and a man standing beside it. His hair was grey, and his body seemed labored down with age. Finn thought back to the letter he and his siblings had looked over. 

“Mayor Lewis?” Finn asked, and the man nodded, moving forward. Soon, Finn found himself in a tight hug. 

“Ah Finnison. So great to see you.” Mayor Lewis was still somewhat what he remembered: the same shirt and hat. In the years since his last visit, Mayor Lewis’ hair had turned completely white. Still, it was nice to see a familiar face. 

“Finnison?” Robin asked, and Finn blushed, running a hand through his hair. 

“It’s uh my full name, but I usually go by Finn.” He explained, hoping his hair had stayed the anxious green and not changed to a bright pink like it always did when he got flustered. Robin and Lewis didn’t seem surprised by anything, so he assumed he wouldn’t have to explain his wild hair for another day.  _ Thank Yoba.  _

However, now that it was at the front of his mind, he thought back to the bus stop and hoped it hadn’t acted up there either. Luckily, that seed of worry blossomed in the back of his mind, and Finn knew he wouldn’t have to do any explaining just yet. His hair would be green for a while.

“And where are the others?” Lewis asked, curiously peeking over Finn’s shoulder. “Michael? Raiden? Eleanor?” 

“On their way,” Finn assured “life just got in the way of getting us all here at the same time.” 

“This way then.” Lewis said, “I’ll give you the tour, so you can give it your siblings. You always were one of the smarter ones.” There was humor in his voice. “I did give you kids those nicknames for a reason after all.” Finn huffed, amusement in his own voice. 

“Michael the brave. Eleanor the wise. Finnison the kind. Raiden the storm.” Finn recalled as they walked the farm grounds. Robin hadn’t been lying when she said it was in rough shape. Sticks, rocks, logs, and even boulders littered the farm land. The blue pond he remembered swimming in was littered with some trash, and the greenhouse he knew his grandfather had built from hand was a crumbling set of debris. As they approached the farmhouse, Finn felt some relief. 

It was standing tall, the two story building somehow having weathered all the storms that came its way. Sure, there was some moss growing on it, and it was a little dusty, but it was there. With somber eyes, Finn looked at the porch, and the memories of late night campfires resurfaced. He remembered catching lightning bugs while grandfather told stories of the monsters that roamed the valley. He could taste hot dogs roasted over the fire, and the gooey smores that melted in his mouth. Finn moved when he found Lewis staring back at him curiously. “Sorry, just a lot to take in.” 

“That’s alright kiddo, it’s understandable.” 

“And don’t worry, we got the wifi, electricity, plumbing, and all that other good stuff set up for you.” Finn hoped his face didn’t show his surprise. 

“Oh,” Finn said “I don’t have much, just five-hundred gold really, but I’d be happy to make payments for your work.” Finn tugged his bag in front of him, opening it quickly and digging past clothes, his laptop, sketchbook, but he couldn’t seem to find his wallet.” A hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. 

“Really dear, it wasn’t hard work, just consider it a welcoming gift from all of us in town.” Finn turned to see a kind smile, and he stopped rummaging through his bag.  Lewis chuckled in front of him. 

“Even with age, you haven’t changed.” Finn hopped that was a compliment. “But besides all of that-” Mayor Lewis pointed to a crate, “some parsnips to get you started, they’re pretty easy to grow. However, if Raiden was here instead of you I’d worry for their safety.” Finn laughed at that. Raiden sorta had the opposite of a green thumb. The poor guy had killed a numerous amounts of cacti, succulents, and flowers alike. The poor plants had never stood a chance with him as their caretaker. 

“But, apart from that, I bet it’s best the two of us let you get settled.” Lewis moved past him, and Finn spun around, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. He stumbled the tiniest bit, catching himself on the porch rail. “There’s some tools out back, behind the shed.” Lewis said, “And I encourage you to try and meet with all the residents of Pelican Town. I’ll be first to say there isn’t a lot of us, but we’re close, like a family.” Finn smiled, a genuine and bright smile. “And now you, and your siblings, are apart of this family. If you ever need me, I’ll be at the town hall.” 

“And I’ll be at my shop.” Robin added. “I hope to see you soon!” And then, they were gone. Felix watched as they headed down the path he had came from, their figures slowly lost in the deep shadows. Finn let himself relax, not even realizing his body was so tense. 

He headed up the rickety steps with ease. The groan of old wood brought back memories of him chasing Mike and Ellie outside.  Though Ellie was younger and, back then, Mike smaller, Finn had always trailed behind them. Sometimes, he wondered if he’d ever caught up with them.

He turned the golden door knob slowly, and in the glass frames of the door he caught sight of himself. His hair had turned back to its normal brown color. The door opened with a slight groan and creak, and Finn slipped in, shutting it behind him. Out of habit, he turned the lock behind him. He remembered the door always being open, quick dashes in and out. Finn didn’t think he could live like that anymore. 

At first glance, the house almost felt normal. The staircase Raiden had jumped off, breaking his arm in the process, was still in front of him. Finn could imagine the mattress, tucked neatly at the bottom. Their grandfather rushing Raiden to the clinic and scolding the rest of them when he got back.

His memory of the house was somewhat rusty, but he found his way to the living room with ease. All of grandfather’s furniture was there, every pillow put in a specific place. He looked at the large bay window that overlooked the farm. Even after all these years, his grandfather still had those cream colored curtains that had always made a bad hiding spot during hide n’ seek.

Finn’s eyes eventually settled on the fireplace. More specifically, the mantle. Typically, there would’ve been a television, but his grandfather had always been old fashioned. Running across the mantle, were pictures of his father and mother on their wedding day, bright smiles. And then, the rest of it was practically Finn and his siblings- spare for a couple childhood photos of their dad. 

Though quite narcissistic, Finn stared at his own pictures the most. At seventh grade, was when his hair started to get its first hints of green. His shy, crooked smile, barely visible. Before that, his hair had been an almost unnatural blonde. When he started puberty, is when his emotional state started to manifest itself in his hair. Once he got to the freshmen year photos, his braces were hidden by a closed mouth smile, and his hair was a deep green with hints of blue. Finn smiled sadly, walking away from the mantle and decided to explore the rest of his new home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late that first night that everything really kicked in. Finn was sprawled out on the bed he used to sleep on back when he was eight years old. Apparently, Finn hadn’t grown that much, still able to fit comfortably on the twin size mattress. 

Finn had already did all the days work of unpacking his clothes and fixing food, so he didn’t starve. When Robin said they had taken care of everything, they really meant everything. He had expected an empty fridge. Nope. He had opened the small refrigerator to a full case of water, a gallon of milk, lunch meats, a handful of pre made meals, and not to mention an overwhelming amount of desserts. Finn had settled for a piece of toast with some strawberry jam. 

Now, he was curled up in the small bed, staring at his phone as texts poured in. 

 

[El:] God, I can’t wait to get to Pelican Town. 

 

[Mike:] Same. 

 

[Rai:] Same. 

 

[Mike:] How’s it going there Finny? 

 

Finn curled on himself while he typed. In the reflection of his phone screen, his hair turned whiter than his sheets. 

 

[Finn:] Good. 

 

Finn had hoped that would keep them off his back. By the time Ellie texted back, his hair had already lost all of its color, now whiter than snow. 

 

[El:] Care to elaborate. Are the townsfolk zombies? Evil? 

 

[Finn:] They’re actually really nice. 

 

[Rai:] They’re just doing it to get you to relax

 

[Rai:] That way they can kill you easier 

 

Finn went wide eyed. The thought was ridiculous, but in his mind he made sure he had locked every door, checked every window. He even considered getting up to shut and lock his door, that way the dark halls would stop peering in. Finn made one quick motion and turned the bedside table lamp on. The dim glow washed over his phone, and he squinted slightly, trying to relax into the mattress.

 

[Finn:] ...not funny asshole. 

 

[Mike:] Great job Rai. Terrify him more. 

 

[Rai:] My apologies princess

 

[Mike:] Fuck off Rai, don’t be a douche. 

 

[El:] Yeah, how’s your divorce going again?

 

Finn put his phone down while the replies poured in. That was not a conversation he was going to have any part in whatsoever. He’d had enough relationship drama for a lifetime, and he was not about to get involved with Rai’s. 

Still, sleep didn’t come easy. Finn stared at the wooden ceilings for a long time. His eyes boring into the beams that his grandfather had put up so many years ago. Truly, Finn wondered if they were going to be alright. His siblings and him hadn’t really been the closest once they got older. They’d all fit somewhere else in life, and it stayed easier for them to stay separate. Finn rested his head against the pillow, letting his white hair fall over his eyes.

He laid there for a while, fingers digging into the soft sheets. It was only when he was so tired his eyes burned, and his body felt numb that he managed to drift to sleep. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be so bad.

 


	2. Settling In & First Encounters

Finn raised the pickaxe, striking the rock in front of him. It exploded in one quick hit, and Finn went to move the stone to the chest near the porch. The morning had been stuck in that tedious routine of clean up. He’d managed to make a small patch for the parsnips in front of the house which he considered a success. Now, all that was really left to do was wait for them to grow and get the farm in better shape. 

The sun hung high in the sky, probably just a bit past noon and sweat poured from Finn’s body, soaking the loose t-shirt he had worn. He’d already made a mental note to shower later in the day instead of in the morning like he had. Sure, his old office job for Joja had left him feeling mentally disgusting, but it was nowhere near as laborious as this was. 

Once the stone was put in the chest, along with the fifty other pieces he’d already collected, Finn dropped the pickaxe to the ground, resting against the old steps of the porch. Despite Finn weighing almost nothing, the stairs still creaked as he sat down. He leaned back against the cool wood and stared out the farmland. 

If Finn was being honest with himself, then he knew he was disappointed. Sure, Finn knew it had only been a couple hours, but the progress seemed minimal, non-existent even. The trees and weeds were still overgrown, tree limbs and rocks still covered most of the property, and there was the occasional boulder. Looking around though, Finn guessed there had to be stuff to be proud about. 

Earlier in the morning, he had gotten the trash out of the pond. It had been an annoying task, but the clear water free of debris made his heart that much lighter. And, of course, there was the tilled soil still darkened from his earlier watering session. Then, there was the hope that Mike and El had filled him with.

He had checked the text messages that had poured in. All. Forty. Eight. Of. Them. Most of them had been El, Mike, and Rai arguing. However, Mike had asked for a picture of the farm, to see if it was still how he remembered it. El and Rai both agreed, but Finn guessed they hadn’t expected it to look as poor as it did. Because, after the sending the text he got three collective ‘Oh’s.’ 

The shell shock didn’t seem to bother any of them much. Mike had said it was just more work to do. El said it was good for them to have a bountiful set of resources. Rai had said it would be good to get some anger out on those boulders. Finn had managed a smile at their replies, hair bordering on turning a faint shade of yellow. He just hoped their attitudes stayed that way when they got here. 

Finn wanted to get more work done, clear a couple more rocks, axe a couple more limbs, but his body disagreed. Under the spring sun, he stayed sprawled out on the steps. Taking a break, that wasn’t a bad idea either. The break stayed short lived when he heard footsteps making their way to the farm. Finn raised an eyebrow, looking away from the sky and towards the path he had walked through yesterday. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn watched that green tint weave its way into his hair.  _ So much for yellow.  _ Finn thought as he stood up.  

He looked over to the path to see a trio of figures making their way into the farm. Finn stood dead in his tracks wondering if he had time to change his shirt or fix his hair without looking weird. When he got a very loud: 

“Hello!” Followed by a set of waves, one shy, one proud, and one casual, he knew the answer. He stayed still, practically glued to the spot as the trio stepped into the sunlight. They couldn’t have been much younger than him, maybe by a year or two. A girl with purple hair and a bright smile holding a bag of what looked like seeds. A boy with dark hair and an even darker sweater holding a box of fertilizer. Then, the boy who had greeted him, blonde hair and blue eyes- holding what appeared to be a small container of chocolate chip cookies. “Hi there!” The guy repeated, and Finn watched him tuck the box of cookies in the crook of his arm, holding out a hand. “I’m Sam! Nice to meet you.” 

Finn shook the guy’s- Sam’s- hand.  _ People in this town do a lot of handshakes.  _ Finn thought to himself as the guy backed up into the trio. The girl was looking at him with a soft smile; however, the guy with black hair was looking at the ground as if he wanted to be anywhere else but the farm. 

“Abigail.” She said, and Finn shook her hand, a curious look plastered on her face. “Hmm, well you’re not a ghost that’s for sure or undead. Then again, you might just be a very corporeal ghost. Are you? Maybe a phantom?” 

“Excuse me?” Finn asked confused. The third of the trio snorted, looking up at Finn. His eyes were almost as dark as his sweater. 

“Ignore Abi.” He said, thankfully not going for a handshake. “She shakes peoples’ hands to see if they’re ghosts or not. Cause she’s a weirdo.” Finn watched a playful smack hit his arm. “You met my Mom, Robin, yesterday too.” Sebastian added.

“Oh you’re Sebby?” Finn asked, and the guy practically turned pink, his eyes looking back at the ground. Sam and Abigail laughed loudly, and Sebastian huffed. 

“Uh it’s a nickname, that’s for sure.” He said, “Everyone calls me Sebastian though.” 

“Aw, we can start calling you Sebby if you want.” Sam joked wrapping an arm around his friend’s waist. Sebastian groaned, moving away. Finn chuckled. “He’s a little shy.” Sam added, “but anywho, down to business. Where’s your dad?” Finn raised an eyebrow. 

“My dad?” 

“Yeah.” Sam said, scratching the back of his neck, “he’s the one getting this place back in working order. Isn’t he?” Finn blushed, and he watched from the corner of his eyes as a few locks of hair turned pink. He pushed the few strands behind his ear, hoping none of them had noticed. 

“Oh uhmm, actually… uh well I’m sorta the head of this place right now. But my siblings are gonna be filtering in over the next month.” Now, it seemed it was Sam’s turn to be embarrassed, his cheeks a bright pink.  

“Shit, my bad man, you just seem sorta-” He stopped, looking for the right word. 

“Young!” Abigail quickly filled im, “you just look pretty young, maybe eighteen, nineteen?” She guessed, and Finn laughed loudly. They seemed startled but relieved. 

“Oh no, uh I’m actually twenty-three.” Finn said. Finn wished he would’ve had his phone out to take a picture of their faces because they were all priceless. Apart from Sebastian, he still just looked sorta ready to bolt at the drop of a pin. 

“No way.” Abigail said. 

“You’re twenty-three?” Sam asked.

“...cool.” Sebastian said, “anyways, our parents wanted us to drop off these things for you, to help get you on your feet. Kinda looks like you could use all the work you could get.” 

“Sebastian!” Abigail chided, turning to Finn, “we’re still working on manners with him. He’s not much of a people person, but we’re trying to get him there.” Sebastian huffed, holding out the fertilizer. 

“Here, this should help your crops be less shitty.” Sebastian said quickly, “let’s go.” He turned around already heading out towards the exit. Abigail huffed, setting her bag of seeds on the ground and offering Finn an apologetic smile. 

“Well, my father Pierre runs the general store, and he wanted me to give you a sample of the goods we have to offer. There’s some potato seeds, some bean sprouts, and I think a couple tulip bulbs to help you get on your feet. It was nice to meet you.” She said, turning around and half-jogging to catch up to Sebastian. Sam sighed from in front of him.

“Sorry about those two, they’re like two peas in a bod. One goes of running and the other is bound to follow. You need help getting this stuff inside?” 

“Oh no, you already bought all this stuff.” Finn said, “I really wouldn’t feel good about it.”

“Really it’d be no hassle.” Sam said, “I lift heavy boxes all day when I stock the shelves at JoJa. This would be nothing.” Finn shook his head lightly. 

“Well now I’d feel even more bad.” Finn said. “But, I do appreciate it.” Sam nodded, stepping away. 

“Then I’ll let you get back to your work and try to catch up with those two. It was nice meeting you Finn. Don’t be a stranger.” With a wave thrown over his shoulder, Sam was off on the path, and Finn sighed looking at the new gifts- wondering how he was gonna get the heavy boxes of fertilizer inside. Maybe he should’ve asked for help after all. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it turned out, Finn was pretty good at being a stranger. That’s what two days after the trio’s visit had been confirmed. Finn had stayed secluded, hidden on the farm. He had gotten a couple visitors over the two days, one from Robin and another from Abigail's parents, Caroline and Pierre. After the impromptu pop ins, he had tucked his hair under a hat- just in case. A couple strands still poked out, but Finn doubted anyone would notice his secret. 

In spite of that, Finn had found himself making the trek through town on Thursday morning, hair under a purple beanie. Sparse petals danced in the wind, and his nose slightly ran from the pollen. At least his allergies weren’t as bad as Rai’s. He was gonna hate Spring in the valley. 

He walked to beat of the music that played in his earbuds, drowning the silence with its upbeat melodies. His fingers danced on the hem of his jeans, and he made his way past the bus stop. His hand brushed against one of the old oaken fences, it felt rotten under his touch. The one thing Finn had realized about Pelican Town and the farm already was how quiet it was, especially at night. 

Sure, there was the sound of a creek in the distance, the hum of birds, and the gentle whistle of wind through the trees. Compare that to Zuzu city though, and it practically meant nothing. Finn was used to falling asleep to car engines, to yelling. The silence felt strange. Still, Finn smiled as he reached the edge of the path and Pelican town opened up before him. 

He saw the clinic, the general store next to it. That saloon was still there, standing proudly. The dirt path turned to cobble as he walked forward, sparing a couple glances around. There weren’t many houses, maybe two or three if you didn’t count the large town hall. He saw a couple people walking around, one was the green haired Caroline, and other was a woman he didn’t recognize. There was an older woman tending to a pot of flowers, and a guy tossing a gridball with a girl in pink- though she didn’t look like she was enjoying it all that much. As Finn walked forward, a man walked passed him. He seemed weathered down with slightly purple hair. 

Finn took out an earbud, gave a slight wave. 

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you I’m Finn. I jus-” The guy cut him off with a glare, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his ratty blue jacket. Finn noticed the the slightly faded on it. Was Joja here too? 

“I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?” And then, the guy turned back around a grumble leaving his lips as he continued forward. Finn raised an eyebrow, considering heading back to the safety. Mike and El could make all the friends they needed after all. Finn would be content with plants. 

Instead, as he turned around and took a step away, he almost instantly felt an object smack into the back of his head. He let out a yelp, falling to the ground. His hands scraped against the cobblestone, and he felt thankful he had worn jeans as he hit the stone.

The culprit, a gridball, bounced away into the grass in front of him. He heard a couple set of footsteps behind him as he stood up. His hands burned, and he wiped them on his jeans. A small bit of red blood staining the dark jeans. 

“Are you alright?” A girl’s voice asked, and Finn chuckled slightly, hoping to keep his embarrassment in check as he turned around. Behind him, stood the girl in the pink dress, her hands on her hips. Her hair was blonde and her eyes were a bright blue. “I told Alex to not throw it that far, but he’s stupid like that.” 

“Hey!” A voice complained from behind her, and Finn presumed it was Alex. Finn would have guessed he was in college had he not been in Pelican Town. He had a green varsity jacket on, and his hair was a darker shade of brown than Finn’s on natural color. And, at first glance, Finn could tell one thing. He was hot. 

“Ignore him.” She said, “I’m Haley, that’s Alex.” Finn just nodded. Alex stood behind her looking bored. “And you must be the new farmer- well -one of them. Town was practically all gossip about you.” Finn gave a nervous chuckle. “And from what I’ve heard, you’re not what we expected.” Finn raised an eyebrow surprised at her bluntness. “Anyways, nice to meet you. Maybe if you dressed a bit better you’d be a lot cuter.” Finn balked for a response, and Alex just rolled his eyes throwing a wave over his shoulder as he followed her. 

“You forgot this.” Finn said, bending down and grabbing the gridball. Alex turned around, and Finn gave it a quick throw. He wasn’t as good as Raiden or Michael when it came to sports, but he wasn’t god awful. Alex caught it with ease and turned around. “I’ll see you around.” Finn called, a blush rising against his cheeks. Alex said nothing, and Finn couldn’t blame him. Who would want to say anything to a random guy that got nailed in the back of the head with a gridball? 

“Are you alright?” A voice asked to his left, and he turned to see Caroline looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Her ocean colored eyes were filled with concern. Finn nodded. 

“It’s nothing really.” Finn assured, “I’m sure it will be fine.” 

“Oh, well Harvey runs the clinic if you want to get your hands bandaged, he’d probably do it free of cost.” Finn looked back at the clinic, and he guessed it wouldn’t be the worst thing to get the cuts clean. Though the residents of Pelican Town had given him practically anything he could have needed, he didn’t remember seeing band-aids or disinfectants. 

“I guess I’ll go get that done. Nice to see you again.” Caroline nodded and walked back to where she had been talking with another women only a moment ago. As Finn walked towards the clinic, he looked over to where Alex was tossing the gridball to Haley a little more carefully. Finn watched the way the sunlight caught in his hair and smiled a bit to himself. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night ended the same as the other had, with Finn laying in bed texting his siblings. It was hard to move his hand with the bandages, but it wasn’t that bad. The doctor, Harvey, and his nurse, Maru, had been nice, almost too nice. They had cleaned the cut, put disinfectant on it, and then given him more bandages and gauze to take home. Finn really felt like a freeloader. Despite that persistent feeling, things were going alright.

The parsnips were coming in nicely which meant Finn hadn’t managed to kill them. He had however been forced to get a makeshift scarecrow to keep the birds from pecking at the plants. It seemed their attention had turned to the poor misshapen and grassed filled creation. But hey, Finn would take it. He looked at his phone when it buzzed. 

 

[Mike:] Got my paperwork finalized today. I’ll be there Sunday baby bro. 

 

[El:] I should be there around Tuesday, next Friday at the latest. 

[Finn:] Nice! 

 

[Finn:] I met a couple more people from the town

 

[Rai:] Aw. 

 

[Rai:] More cannibals? 

 

[Finn:] Nah, more nice people

 

[Finn:] There’s a guy you’d get along with Mike. Dude’s super into gridball. 

 

[Finn:] And he’s super hot. 

 

[Mike:] Cool about the gridball part. 

 

[Mike:] Not sure what to do with the hot part.

 

[El:] I do 

 

[Rai:] Ew. 

 

[Rai:] You didn’t try to hit on the guy did you Finn? 

 

[Finn:] No

 

[Rai:] Good. 

 

[Finn:] ? 

 

[Rai:] I mean Pelican Town isn’t exactly Zuzu city man. People probably aren’t as chill with the whole gay thing. 

 

[Finn:] ...yeah you’re probably right. I didn’t even think of that.

 

[Mike:] No one’s gonna give you shit Finn. Just don’t do what your friend Alec used to do and feel guys up without their permission. 

 

[El:] Please, you think Finn would do that. 

 

[Rai:] I almost laughed picturing it. 

 

[Finn:] Fuck off. I’m not a creep.

 

[El:] But for real, if anyone gives you shit we’ll deal with it. 

 

[Finn:] Well..

 

[Mike:] What happened? 

 

[Rai:] You hit on him, didn’t you. Is that why you sent us a picture of an infirmary? Cause you got your ass handed to you. 

 

[El:] Oh sweetie, you’re more fragile than Rai’s ego. You can’t be getting into fights.

 

[Rai:] Bitch. 

 

[El:] Douche.

 

[Rai:] Uptight princess.

 

[Mike:] Maybe calm it down guys. 

 

[Finn:] For real.

 

[Finn:] And no he didn’t beat me up , I scrapped my hands. Just the girl he was with kinda gave me a shitty comment. “If you dressed better, you’d be cuter.” 

 

Finn rolled his eyes as he sent the message. Haley didn’t seem mean spirited, but she seemed rude and somewhat prissy.

 

[Finn:] Anyways, I’m exhausted. Going to bed. Play nice guys. Love ya guys. 

 

[Rai:] Gay

 

Finn snorted, setting his phone on the bedside table. He still slept with the light on even after three days. The house just felt too empty. He closed his eyes, staring at the window that looked over the farm. He fell asleep to the gentle lull of the Spring breeze that whistled through the trees outside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Chapter two woooo. This was mainly meant to be an introduction into certain characters and stuff. Most of the heavy plot stuff will come with the wizard's cut scene with the Juminos and all that. A lot of stories cut out the community center, but I think that's a big part of the game so I wanna the characters deal with that obstacle as well as their own personal issues. Once again, let me know what you think, I appreciate all the reads and all the kudos and everything really <3\. Chapter 3 is gonna be a focus on Finn finding about the community center and the wizard and all that.


	3. Magic In The Air

Friday morning came too soon. Finn had probably gotten six hours of sleep, at best, before his alarm started to buzz loudly. After crawling out of bed, putting on deodorant, and a cup of coffee he was back out to the fields. He had found one of his grandpa’s old baskets, and he was carefully plucking the parsnips from the ground. They shimmered under the sun, covered with splotches of dew. 

Finn set them gently into the woven basket, careful to not bruise any. A smile tugged on his face each time he pulled one from the ground. Sure, the farm might still be a mess, but he had grown something, and it was beautiful. He looked up the cloudless sky and let out a lengthy sigh. 

Yellow locks kept falling in his face, and he brushed them out long enough to collect the last of the parsnips. When he finished, the basket was practically overflowing. Finn bent down, picking it up with a slight huff. This thing was heavier than he thought, but he hauled it over to the porch and set it on the steps anyways. He took out his phone, snapping a picture of the harvest. Then, he took another with his beaming smile, and he sent both to the group chat. 

Finn looked over to the box where Mayor Lewis had informed him he could put the parsnips. Lewis had also mentioned he would deal with all the selling process if need be. Yet, Finn didn’t really feel comfortable with making him do that. Finn thought about it, remembering that Pierre had mentioned, during his visit on Tuesday, that he would happily buy any produce that Finn produced and would buy it for a good price which left Finn with a couple options. 

He could put the parsnips in the box, let Lewis handle it, and he could go about his day and clear up the farm in preparation for Mike’s arrival come Sunday. He needed to clear up a couple more branches and some more rocks. Or, he could to the general store in town, talk to some people, and turn his seeds in. To be fair, he did have the seeds Abigail gave him. Yet, the longer he stared at the crate by his mailbox the more he realized how bad he’d feel if he made Lewis do all the work for him. With a grunt, he lifted the basket off the porch, and he started the walk into town.

The wicker felt rough under his bandages, and Finn looked down to see the white bandages stained brown. He made a mental note to change them when he got back home. The walk felt longer than it had yesterday, maybe due to the lack of music in his ears. Instead, he hummed a song, and he was surprised to hear the birds that surrounded him in the trees to start humming it back to him. Every so often, he would switch the tune, and he would listen as the melody changed around him. Finn found it quite fun, and he thought it ended too soon as the thicket of trees fanned out to reveal the buildings of Pelican Town. 

He passed by Harvey who gave him a quick chide about the bandages, and Finn did his best to scamper off. His parents had already given him the lectures of a lifetime about injuries, considering he always seemed to get them. He passed by Sam who was heading to the saloon, Abigail and Sebastian in tow. Was it already Noon? They invited him to join them there, apparently most of the town gathered there on Friday nights, save a couple people. Finn gave a soft: maybe, definitely not convincing as he headed towards Pierre’s general store. 

Right when he grabbed the door handle, it opened up, smacking him directly in the nose. Finn stumbled backwards, careful to not let any parsnips fall from the basket. He felt a droplet of blood leave his nose, and he covered it with the sleeve of his jacket quickly, hoping it hadn’t got on any of the parsnips. Finn guessed that might be chemical warfare if he gave Pierre blood soaked parsnips. Finn looked up to see the purple haired man from yesterday glaring at him. 

“Watch where you’re going.” He said, not even offering an apology before he walked off, heading to the saloon. He already reeked of alcohol.

“Asshole.” Finn grumbled out, over his sleeve. 

“Ignore Shane, he’s not the nicest person.” A voice said as the shop door opened up a second time. This time, it didn’t smack him directly in the face, and Finn felt extremely thankful as a girl with orangish hair put into a side braid walked out. Her eyes were blue and deep, and she had a carefree smile. “He’s been living in the ranch above me for two seasons, and the nicest thing I’ve got from is a ‘Name’s Shane’ and I’m pretty sure Marnie made him say that.” She chuckled, and Finn did as well. “Right, manners, my name’s Leah. You must be Finn. I heard Haley talking to Emily about you the other day. Apparently, you had quite the run in with Alex’s gridball.” She laughed again, and Finn blushed. “It wasn’t anything bad, promise.”

“Good to hear.” Finn admitted, “after living in Zuzu you start to expect the worst in people.” Leah nodded.

“Yeah I understand ya… I lived in Zuzu up until last Summer, had some things happen, and I moved here. Same thing happen to you?” Finn just nodded. “Ah well, trust me, things get better in the valley.”

“Leah!” A guy’s voice called, and Finn turned to see a man in a rather expensive red jacket waving for her. “Are you coming?”

“One second Elliot!” She shouted back, “Well it was nice to meet you. Feel free to stop by my cottage sometime.  Catch you around.” And then she was off, seemingly heading to the saloon with everyone else in the town. Finn guessed he might have to check it out after all. Food was starting to dwindle.  _ Is it tragic irony for a farmer to starve.  _ Finn thought as he pushed open the door, the soft ring of the bell accompanying his footsteps inside. 

“Ah Farmer Finn!” Pierre called loudly. 

“Shopkeep Pierre.” Finn said back, and he wondered why he said it. Though, Pierre’s laugh was enough to guarantee it had been alright. Finn hoisted the basket up to the counter with a slight umph. Pierre gave a grin that seemed nostalgic.

“Your grandpa always used to bring parsnips in early spring, though he usually had more than one basket… when he got older Lewis had to start bringing for him, and his last couple of years, we didn’t get anymore.” Pierre’s eyes were watery, “I’m glad it's happening again.” 

The process of selling them was rather easy. Pierre looked over each parsnip, that nostalgic smile over his face as his fingers ran over the soft texture. Finn imagined Pierre doing with this grandpa and gave a similar smile to Pierre. He didn’t like hearing how bad his grandpa had gotten. Finn remembered the man with gray hair from fifteen years ago, who had a bright smile, kind eyes, and a gentle voice. Imagining him frail and too weak to farm sent a pang through Finn’s heart. 

At the end of it all, Pierre settled on giving him six-hundred gold for the parsnips, saying they were all in spectacular shape. Finn took it with a smile, shaking Pierre’s hand before he headed through the shop with an empty basket, Pierre storing them in the fresh produce section each one earning a sticker that said locally grown. It was a victory, a small one, but nevertheless: a victory. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, Finn had found himself parked in front of a help wanted board. It had a small calendar, flyers, and what looked like a ‘Help Wanted’ section. It hadn’t taken Finn long to realize the calendar was marked with birthdays. It was only the fifth of Spring but Mayor Lewis’ birthday was on Sunday, the same day Mike was arriving in Pelican Town. He made a note to try and somehow get a gift. He knew the valley was filled with wildflowers… maybe Finn could make a bouquet or something like that. Before he had even graduated college, his first job had been at a florist shop in downtown Zuzu, maybe the skills would still be there. 

“I see you found our request section.” A voice called, speak of the devil. Mayor Lewis was walking up to him. “If people need things, they typically post here, asking for help.” Finn nodded, fingers tracing over the wicker of the basket. 

“I wish you would’ve told me your birthday was coming up, I could’ve ordered something.” Lewis huffed. 

“Nonsense, you and your siblings saving that farm is the best gift I could have asked for.” Lewis smiled, “how are you liking it here so far? I heard the little story about your unfortunate run in with a gridball from George.” 

“George?” Finn asked, “I don’t think I’ve met a George yet.” The name was somewhat familiar though. 

“Ah,” Mayor Lewis “he lives with his wife Evelyn, by the saloon. They’re Alex’s grandparents.” 

“Evelyn…” Finn recalled, “she’s the one who likes to bake cookies, isn’t she.” Mayor Lewis laughed, nodding. “I remember she used to babysit us when Grandpa had to run somewhere. Her husband, George, wasn’t he always at work?” 

“Yes he was. That man worked until he couldn’t anymore.” Finn guessed George and his grandpa had that in common. 

“I don’t remember them having a grandson.” 

“Alex started staying in Pelican Town long after you had stopped visiting.” Mayor Lewis explained, “but he’s a good kid. Well, I guess adult now. Strange how the time goes by.” Finn said nothing. Mayor Lewis looked over at him. “You’ve changed too.” 

“Well I hope I have.” Finn said, “be a little strange if I still looked eight. Don’t you think.” Mayor Lewis huffed.   
“You get that sense of humor from your Grandpa.” Mayor Lewis chided, “but no. You seem a little different. Wore down.” Finn did his best to keep his emotions in check, “I remember when that little head of yours was always yellow.” 

“I-I…” Finn trailed off, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mayor Lewis chuckled. 

“You know exactly what I mean, but don’t worry, your secret's safe with me. ALL, of the secrets are safe with me. Until you are ready, your family’s… secrets will stay safe. And, when the time comes, Pelican Town will accept you with open arms.” 

“Good to know.” Finn said. The sky was slowly starting to darken, and Mayor Lewis turned away from the request board. Finn looked up at it, seeing the first twinkling stars start to appear- pieces of the constellations that weren’t completed just yet. 

“I actually do have something else I want for my birthday.” Mayor Lewis said, “follow me.” Mayor Lewis started walking away, up to raised cliff where a set of stairs went up. Finn trailed behind, looking around. The soft glow of the streetlights were just getting ready to kick on, and the hum of mosquito were in the air. Finn needed to remember to get bug spray. He he already gotten a couple of itchy bites Wednesday when he stayed up late, clearing a couple sparse rocks. 

Once they reached the top of the steps, Finn turned around seeing all of Pelican Town for the first time since he was a kid. He could see the ripple of the ocean in the distance, the gentle rush of the river, and the shadowy figures that walked through the streets. Their conversations were whispers that didn’t quite reach Finn’s ears. 

It didn’t seem like there was much up on the cliff side itself: a playground, a fountain, a couple benches, and a rundown building. Finn had a strange inkling that building was where Lewis was taking him. Lewis stopped as they walked in front of it. The old stone path that used to lead up to it was covered with moss, and the stones were crumbling. 

“Ah, the old community center. Follow me.” Lewis walked forward, pushing open the oaken doors. They were just as rotten as the fence posts near the bus stop. Finn wondered what the likelihood of the building crumbling while he was inside it were. He hoped the vines on the building weren’t the only thing keeping it together.

He walked and smelt mildew, just like his old apartment. There were spaces where the floorboards were ripped up and dirt had grown. The ceiling was littered with whole and down from the rafters, small beams of sunlight drifted in. The only thing they gave vision of was the heavy dust that had settled in the air. They floated like snowflakes, except, Finn had no desire to try and catch those dust-flakes with his tongue. “This placed used to be the center of Pelican Town.” Mayor Lewis said, and his voice sounded sad, almost empty. “The kids would play in the crafts room, the fish tank would be filled with seawater and exotic catches, and there would always be a warm meal for anyone who needed it in the kitchen.” 

They stayed in silence for a while. Finn rested his basked on the old floorboards, and he looked around staring at the old walls that were rotting and covered with mold. The floorboards that smelt of mildew and where occasional builts of grass had grown through the cracks. The way Mayor Lewis describe the community center reminded him of the farm: a beauty that had lost its luster over time. 

“So, what exactly do you want me to do for your birthday?” Finn asked, and Mayor Lewis looked over at him. Tears had welled up in his eyes, but he blinked them away. 

“Nothing Finnison, I just wanted to show you the old place that is all.” His voice was heavy with emotion, “I’m afraid that if one more person signs up for a Joja membership then auctioning this place off will be the best thing I can do for the town. I just wish there was a way I could fix it up… an old man can dream though, can’t he?” Finn just looked around the old building, and that’s when he noticed it. Barely in his vision, he saw something- something green -with stick like arms scurrying across the floor. 

“What was that?” He asked, and Mayor Lewis raised an eyebrow. He pointed to where the creature was, and then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Mayor Lewis turned his head to an empty wall. 

“Are you alright?” Lewis asked, and Finn gave a half-hearted shrug, looking around the empty community center. And that’s what it was, empty. There was no sign of whatever that thing had been, not even the slight sound of its scurrying feet. 

“Sorry, sorry, I just thought I saw something.” 

“Well this place has had a rat problem… I guess. Sometimes I hear things when I come up here alone, I’ve set traps, but they don’t seem to do anything.” Finn had seen some things in his life, but a rat that looked like that.... 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“Well anyways, why don’t we get out of this place and head to the place. I know you’ve made headway when it comes to meeting people, but this well be a good way to meet almost everyone else. Spare the kids Vincent and Jas, but I’m sure you’ll see them around sometime.” Finn followed Lewis as he left the community center. Right before he shut the door, he shot one more look over his shoulder. The only thing that greeted him was silence and darkness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn woke up with a bit of distortion. His head had a slight pounding, and the light that peered in through the windows seemed too bright. He grumbled, pulling the blankets over himself. He knew drinking last night was going to be regretful. Yet, the wine had been enticing, and the ability to dull his anxiety had been a temptation to good to resist. Vague introductions replayed in his mind:

Pam, rude. Clint, sad. Emily, strange. Gus, inviting. Gunther, academic. Demetrius, logical. Penny, quiet. Jodi, understanding. Marine, kind. Finn pinched the bridge of his nose, too many faces to try and remember and too many names. Why did people have to have names? He groaned into his pillow. 

Before he knew it, the phone began to shake with his alarm, and he groaned louder. He debated laying in bed all morning. He had grown parsnips. Why not wait for Mike to show up and pull his weight? He digressed, deciding it best to just get up. He stumbled to his feet, catching himself on the nightstand. How much wine had he downed last night?  _ Too much.  _ A bottle of salmon berry and maybe even aged spiceberry. 

The morning was a blur, he had gotten dressed, throwing on a black jacket and running a brush through black locks of hair. Black always meant tired to some extent. It was as if even the magic in his hair had given up and was telling him to go back to bed. Though the thought was enticing, he refused. He put on jeans, grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and a bottle of water from the fridge, and headed outside. The sky was somewhat cloudy, and the early morning seemed darker than what Finn was used to. What really shocked him, was a letter that had been taped to his door. 

The paper was purple, and the writing was an almost shining gold. He wondered if he had done something dumb while drunk that would warrant a letter. What he read was something else entirely: 

 

_ Dear Newest Addition To The Valley,  _

 

_ I sensed your presence on the first of spring. A breath of new life into the valley was exhaled the moment you stepped off that bus. The flowers have spoke to me in a dream, and they revealed that you may have had an encounter with something that you couldn’t explain. If you wish to explore this deeper, then I recommend you pay me a visit. I’m located at the tower in Cindersap Forest. I already know when you’ll be here, so don’t bother wondering if it will be a good time. Just come.  _

_ You also reek of emotional magics…. And something else I can’t place. We have much to discuss.   _

 

_ Sincerely,  _

  1. _Rasmodius. - The Wizard_



 

Finn stared at the letter with wide eyes. His first thought was that this had to be a joke or  shook his head. His Saturday morning did have plans, but he guess he could push them off at the immediate moment. He guessed he’d need to add a beanie to his outfit. He was heading into town. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn stood near the center of town, hands stuffed in his pockets. He had come to the realization that he had no idea where Cindersap Forest was. He had considered snooping around, but the valley was huge. Was it up by the mountains? Near the farm? Near the beach? Along the riverside? 

Instead, he had decided to make the smart decision to ask someone; however, he had soon realized how much he lacked the courage to try and do just that. In his defense, it wasn’t really his fault. The only people he’d seen had been Shane, who didn’t like him, Haley, who he guessed would judge him, and Penny, who he didn’t really know. He’d been hoping to run into Sam, Leah, or even Abigail or Sebastian. He had tried Mayor Lewis, but he didn’t seem to be home- probably off doing official business. There was still one option left. 

He looked over by the dog pen where Alex stood, tossing the ball to himself. Well, it was the worth shot. Finn took in a deep breathe, swallowed his anxiety, and walked over. He gave the best forced smile he could, took his hands out of his pockets, offered a wave. 

“Hey Ale-” Finn stopped halfway through his greeting when his foot caught on a concrete brick that had been hidden in the dirt. He fell to the ground with a slight groan, his knee catching the worst part of it. He sighed going to pick himself up when he felt a shadow loom over him. He looked up to see Alex look down at him. An amused smile on his face as he stretched out a hand. Finn took it. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so uncoordinated, and I’m friends with Haley.” There was a twinge of amusement in his voice, but it still came off as insensitive. “No wonder you threw the gridball almost as bad as Haley does.” Finn huffed, trying to be annoyed, but it was hard when Finn focused on his dark eyes and dark hair. He reminded Finn of Adam. And as soon as Finn made the connection, he wished he hadn’t. He buried the thought, best to ignore that topic after all. “Did you need something?” Alex asked. 

“Oh uh right,” Finn said “do you know where Cindersap is? I need to head over there.” Alex snorted. 

“Really?” 

“What?” Finn asked. Alex said nothing, just rolled his eyes. 

“You know those two houses down there.” Alex pointed by the riverbank. “Follow the path into the woods, and you should come out between Marnie’s ranch and Leah’s place.” 

“Oh wow, that simple.” Finn laughed. “Thank you.” 

“Yeah try not to bother me again in the morning, it’s my training hours during Spring and Summer. I’m gonna go pro.” Finn thought of Mike at a statement like that, just take away the arrogance, and it was exactly how Mike had been fresh out of high school. 

“Wow I didn’t know you were that good.” Finn said, trying to keep the conversation on track. Alex nodded, a prideful look in his eyes. He pointed to the star on his jacket. 

“You know what this means?” Finn paused, thinking back to Mike’s high school Gridball games. 

“Captain of the team right?” Finn said, “pretty nice.” Alex seemed surprised. 

“Wow, how did, how did you know that?” 

“My brother, well, my oldest brother, he was into gridball, and he was captain, so he had the same star. Our parents forced us all to support one another and stuff like that. I had to go to his Gridball games, we had to go to my sister’s cheer events, my other brother’s performances, and they were forced to go to my art shows- back when I drew.” 

“Well that’s cool.” Alex paused, “I’m going to the fall tryouts for the Tunnelers in Zuzu. And, they’re a pretty good team. Probably the best team.” Finn thought of Mike, but he bit his tongue. The reveal of Mike could come on Sunday when he’d arrive. “So yeah, Cindersap, just over there. I gotta get back to training.” Finn nodded, not really understanding how throwing the ball in mid air was “training” but to each their own. 

“Thanks Alex.” 

“No problem bro.” Alex walked away, back over to where he had been under a large tree. Finn smiled to himself as he walked. Maybe, he’d made a friend. Or, at least set up Mike to make one. He just wondered how Alex would feel when he recognized Mike.  _ Mike Poet, former captain of the Zuzu city tunnelers.  _ Finn gave a hearty laugh to himself once he was in the forest, that’d be an interesting sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn’s head hurt, and he squinted up at the ceiling of the farmhouse. He had decided to rest on the couch downstairs, far too tired to even climb up the stairs to his room. The wizard, Rasmodius, had warned him the potion might drain him for the day. He hadn’t imagined it would be this bad. Thoughts swam through his head.  _ Juminos. The community Center. Nature magic.  _

The Wizard, Rasmodius, had informed him that the creature he saw as called a Jumino: a spirit of the forest. He had also suggested that Finn return to the community center. According to the wizard’s “ancient” scrolls, Juminos usually left requests and with the nature magic now coursing through his body, he’d be able to understand what they wanted. 

The topic of Finn’s empathy magic had been their second conversation. Despite it having just recently happened, Finn barely could remember it. He knew the wizard had called his magic locks of hair valuable, and he’d look into it more. Finn just hoped that it meant a cure.

Couple all of those bombshells with the fact that Mike was arriving tomorrow, and Finn almost couldn’t quite believe his luck. Six days. He’d been in Pelican Town for six days, and he was already halfway down the rabbit hole. He wondered how he’d explain it to Mike, let alone Rai and El. He looked at the bottles on that table that were filled with the green potion. How in the hell was he going to convince them to drink that? On the coffee table, his phone buzzed. Finn sighed, closing his eyes. He’d deal with it tomorrow. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay chapter 3, hope you guys like it, I have some stuff planned, and some ideas I want to work out. Once again I hope you liked it and any feedback you have is much I appreciated. I thank you all for the Kudos and bookmarks means the world <3 . (Although I hate writing Shane as a jerk, and Alex arrogant it's true to their characters before you really befriend them.)


	4. Lucid Dream & The Lycanthrope

Finn was no stranger to lucid dreaming, he’d done it his whole life. They had started around the time he was seven, and their contents were endless. Sometimes, he’d become weightless and float with the clouds. Other times, he’d sink to the bottom of the ocean, and he’d watch the sunlight dwindle to complete darkness. This dream felt different, more serene. 

He was sat in a clearing, tall oak and maple trees surrounded him. Sunlight shone through above him, and the shadows of the tree limbs danced over his skin. He felt warm and light. At one point, a butterfly landed against the tip of his nose, a tickle that caused Finn to sneeze. It fluttered off shortly after, its rainbow colored wings sparkling in the sun.

Finn knew at any point, he could change the scene, but he felt content. The breeze that drifted in through the treeline was cool, and the scent of sweet peas filled the air. Finn noticed a bushel of them beside him. It must’ve been Summer. 

For what felt like hours, Finn sat there, the sun kissing his skin when a loud sound caused Finn to jolt upright. A heavy banging sound had suddenly filled his ears, he looked around, trying to find the source. He scanned around the trees, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. A praying mantis climbing up bark, a flock of birds overhead, moss on the side of a tree… the sound grew louder, more consistent and persistent. As much as Finn willed it to stop, he couldn’t make it. He wasn’t in control anymore. 

Eventually, after a meticulous search, Finn found the source: a woodpecker, hard at work. It’s beak was digging into the tree eliciting the knocking sound. It must’ve noticed him because as soon as he was in front of it, it turned to him, opening its beak. 

“FINNY!” It shouted, and Finn went wide eyed, stumbling backwards. His foot caught on a rock, and as he fell into the grass it dissolved around him. He looked around, watching the earth crumble and fall away. Before he knew it, he was in the sky, surrounded by stormy clouds and the heavy scent of rain: the calm summer day had warped into a storm. Finn tried to will himself to float, but he couldn’t. He was plummeting, stuck in a free fall.

Cold rain splattered against his skin, washing away the warmth the earlier sun had gave him. He was spiraling, body flailing as he sunk to the ground. He eventually curled in on himself, bracing for the worst. As he finally smacked against the earth, he felt a sharp pain through his left leg, he let out a yell that was drowned out by a particularly loud bolt of thunder. And then, he was awake. 

Sweat poured from his skin, and he was practically panting. He let out a shaky sigh. That hadn’t been a dream. A nightmare was more like it. Except, the knocking was still going full force. With a large groan, Finn hoisted himself into an upright sitting position. From the living room window, he could see a shadow through the curtains. “Finny! Wake up bud!” A voice called, and Finn went wide eyed- looking at the old grandfather clock. 

“NINE IN THE MORNING!” He yelped, a quick vault over the couch, head spinning. How had he slept a whole day away? He had planned on taking a power nap, and that was pushing it. He ran over to the door, his head spinning once again. The hangover of that potion was worse than any he’d had his entire life, and that was saying something. 

The knocking stopped at the sound of his footsteps, and he got to the door in a record speed. Finn ran a hand through his sweaty hair, and he tugged at his shirt trying to straighten up his appearance. He already knew it was Mike behind the door, no one else called him ‘Finny.’ But, when you haven’t seen someone for a couple years, besides quick family events, first impressions still meant something. 

“Finny!?” Mike’s voice called, “you in there bud? Finn braced himself, unlocked the door, and tugged it open. He winced at the soft sunlight opening his eyes when he heard a hearty laugh from in front of him- definitely Mike. 

His oldest brother had a bag slung over his shoulder, and a couple on the ground beside him. From the corner of his eye, Finn could see his shiny red car parked in front of the pond. How he got it here in one piece, Finn had no idea. He turned back to Mike and smirked.

 Even after almost three whole years of barely seeing him, Mike hadn’t changed that much. Sure, he had a couple new tattoos on his left arm, but besides that- he was the same. The first hints of stubble on his face- somehow Mike made it work. His blue eyes were lively, his hair still blond and cut short, and he still had those silver piercings in his right ear. The ones their mom used to chide him about.

“Finny!” Mike dropped his bag, and he walked over wrapping Finn in a tight bear hug. Finn wheezed, tapping Mike’s back.

“Can’t. Breathe.” Mike chuckled, setting him down. It was as if he forgot his own strength sometimes. Finn looked up at his brother, who towered over him. Somewhere in the family genetics, Finn had drawn the short stick- literally. As where Mike and Raiden both towered at six foot four, Finn was stuck at a solid five eight, only two inches taller than El. 

“How you doin Finny?” Mike asked, ruffling his hair. Finn grumbled, some things never changed. “Well, your hairs black which, if I remember right means one of three things: tired, lonely, or hungry. Finn’s stomach growled. 

“Maybe all three.” He admitted with a laugh. Mike snorted, tugging his bags inside. 

“Long day yesterday?” Mike asked, closing the door behind him. Finn thought about the wizard tower, and the potion vials in the living room. 

“You could say that.” Finn replied. Mike nodded. 

“Which room do I get?” Mike asked. 

“Your choice.” Finn said, “I took the smallest one.” 

“Always considerate.” Mike said, “some things never change do they.” 

“Guess not.” Finn said, “We have some time to relax, but I do need to get some seeds planted and growing again… took a break after the parsnips. I was thinking of getting some roses grown. And then, I need to clear up some of the rocks and sticks. And…” He thought about it for a moment.  _ Sunday. Mayor Lewis’ birthday _ . “And I’m going to have to rush and pick some wildflowers. It’s Lewis’ birthday. Remember Lewis?” He looked at Mike who was shaking his head, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Woah.” Mike said, “slow it down a bit. Jeez Finny, you sure do act the same- all that nervous energy. Let me get unpacked, you can go take a shower or something, and we can eat breakfast. Sound good? And, are you good?” 

“R-right sorry.” Finn said, scratching the back of his neck. “And yeah… Just a lot going on.”  _ Like magic potions and a wizard.  _ Finn kept that to himself. He’d drop that bombshell later.  _ Maybe a day or two? _

“Yoba, how did you manage this last week?” Finn said nothing, and Mike snorted. “Right, just go take a shower I’ll whip some eggs or something up real quick. You need more protein in your diet Finny.” 

“Uh huh.” He said, “I lived fine off of ramen and grilled cheese for a solid year.” It was meant to be a joke, Mike didn’t seem that amused. 

“For Yoba’s sake Finny… how did any of us expect you to survive here?” Finn shrugged as he walked towards the staircase.

“I asked myself that same question on the bus ride here, like a million times. Surprised you’re just now coming to that conclusion.” Mike shook his head. 

“Well, no need to fear, Mike Poet is here. And do you want your eggs sunny side up or scrambled?”

“Do you really think I care?” Finn laughed, “it’s actual food.” 

“Some things really don’t change.” Mike chuckled. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn was reminded of his dream as he walked through the forest, basket in hand. Except the scent of sweet pea and heat of the sun were gone. Instead, Finn caught the hints of the dandelions and daffodils that drifted up from his basket. It combined nicely with the smell of horseradishes and leaks he’d found, along with the wild onions that had sprouted south of Leah’s cottage in Cindersap. 

The Sunday morning had passed in a smooth fashion, a stark contrast to what Finn had expected to happen. Mike’s arrival hadn’t been jarring or crazy, just normal. He had moved into his room, and he had talked to Finn over breakfast- mainly a game of catch up. Finn had showed him where they were planting crops and, with the extra help, it had taken only hour to get the tulips and kale into the ground and watered. 

Mike had volunteered to stay and start to clear up the farm a bit. Finn pointed him to where he had been storing the stone and wood, and Mike had nodded, a determined smile on his face. Finn was honestly surprised Mike hadn’t wanted to head into town and meet some of the people. Mike, even back in high school, had loved being the center of attention. Hell, he’d practically adored it. It’s honestly what shocked Finn most about him coming to the valley. There were no cameras, no paparazzi, no cheering fans.  _ Well, there was Alex.  _

Finn had already talked to Mike about him, and Mike had chuckled, scratching the back of his neck nervously. 

“Hope he doesn’t hate me too much for quitting the team then.” Mike had said, “this was more important.” Finn felt the same. He had his reasons, namely Adam, and Rai had his divorce for his driving factor to come to the valley. Finn wasn’t quite sure what reason El and Mike had to leave their lives behind, but he was happy to have them as the farmhouse came back into view. 

Mike was still out in the field, hauling a hefty log over his shoulder. His brother was covered with dirt and grime, skin flushed red. Finn heard a large groan as he dropped the log in front of the porch, along with a dozen other. Finn looked at Mike, then back at the logs, and then back at Mike. 

“How in the fuck?” Finn asked. Mike laughed. 

“All in the core strength.” Mike replied, “shit was way harder than half of the drills they made us do for training though. You got everything you need?” Mike asked eyeing the basket. 

“Yeah, got it all. I’ll make a spring bouquet, I guess.” Finn said, “I know it's cheap but…” Mike snorted. 

“You overthink things Finny, it’s a gift, he’ll love it. Just make sure you tell him it's from the two of us.” 

“No need to be selfish, I did all the work for this.” 

“Uh huh, who carried all these logs? Was it you? Oh wait, it wasn’t.” 

“Ha. Ha.” Finn said, rolling his eyes. “In other news, I got some leaks, onions, and horseradishes that I found around the valley. So, we could make like a spring vegetable medley… if that sounds fine for lunch.” 

“You mean, I’ll make it.” Mike said. 

“Same difference.” Finn said. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The house felt fuller with Mike there. Finn could hear the stove sizzling as the vegetables were grilled. Finn hummed to himself while he added the finishing touches to the spring themed bouquet. It wasn’t his best work, but he’d put the effort in, even cutting up an old shirt to get a makeshift ribbon to tie the stems together. 

The doorbell rang as he was setting the bouquet back to the table gently. From the kitchen he heard a loud: ‘I got it!’ Mike’s footsteps were heavy, and Finn looked over his creation once again. He just hoped Lewis liked it. The door opened up, and he heard a small, barely audible gulp and a:

“...H-hey.” Finn looked over the edge of the couch to see Sebastian standing in their doorway, awkwardly shuffling. His dark hair seemed as wild as it had the first day Finn had met him and somehow even darker. “Uhm… did the other guy already give up and you move in?” 

“Nope.” Finn called, “still here. That’s my brother. Sebastian meet Mike. Mike meet Sebastian.” Finn turned back around, hair turning green as he stared at the flowers some more. What if Lewis hated it? What if he thought it was trashy? At the door, the conversation continued. 

“Nice to meet you.” Mike said.

“Uhh you too.” Sebastian mumbled, “surprised I didn’t see you the last time I was here. You’re kinda hard to… miss.” Finn didn’t say anything but there was something strange about Sebastian’s voice. He heard Mike give a lengthy sigh.

“Just got here today, and I’m gonna hope that was a compliment.” Mike said. 

“Uh yeah… it was… it was supposed to be.” 

“Good.” Finn could feel the awkwardness in the air. “Right, so can I or Finn help you with something?” 

“Oh uh shit yeah sorry.” Sebastian grumbled, “I, well not me, my mom- I take it you haven’t met her since you just got her but… well… she’s practically the town handyman, she wanted me to stop by on my way to Sam’s and let you know that she’d be happy to help you guys with any farm buildings. She used to build them for your grandpa.” 

“Oh gotcha.” Mike said casually, “well I appreciate the thought, we’re not really in a position for that right now.”

“Of course.” Sebastian said, “I told her it was a lot to ask already, but she’s insistent ya know?” 

“Please, Finn and I could go on about our parents being overbearing. I understand, completely. But, I’m happy you decided to stop by. It’s really nice to get to meet someone.” While listening, Finn had started to clean up his mess, but he’d stopped dead in his tracks at hearing Mike’s voice. He knew that tone. He recognized it from high school and parties that’d he been dragged along to. Mike was flirting.  _ Raiden expected me to be the problem? _ “Hey, why don’t I get your number, so I can let you know when we’re ready. No promise that’ll be soon though.”  _ No way.  _ Finn thought to himself. 

“Uh sure…” Sebastian mumbled, and Finn almost wanted to smack his brother. He’d been here what, five hours. Leave it to Mike. He peeked over his shoulder to see Mike typing it in as Sebastian spoke. “Three-Five-Two. Seven-Seven-Eight-One.” 

“Sweet.” Mike said, and he had that cheeky grin on his face. “I’ll text you later and give you mine. Nice to meet you again, tell your mom I said hi, and I’ll visit when I get the chance. Just trying to ease into it.” 

“Don’t blame ya.” Sebastian said, walking away, “this town is small, but it can feel like its overpopulated sometimes. I kinda can’t wait to get out of here. Catch you around?” 

“Definitely.” Mike said, and then, the door was shut. Finn looked over to where Mike was leaning against the doorway, hands in his pockets. 

“Really Mike?” Finn asked, “one day. Couldn’t have went one day without hitting on someone.” His older brother shrugged. 

“Guy’s cute and totally my type. Wasn’t expecting it.” Mike admitted, “dark hair, dark eyes, and that shyness… kinda like you to a point. But, he seemed more sad than shy.” Finn ignored that comment.

“Did you have to flirt that hard?” 

“I have no idea what you mean, just a friendly conversation between two guys. Just cause I’m bi doesn’t mean I hit on everyone.” 

“Right….” Finn said, “it’s not like your words practically screamed: please let me get into your pants or anything.” 

“Couple things. One, you didn’t see him check me out like I did, dude totally wants me to get into his pants.” _ Arrogant _ . “Two, I totally want to get into his pants.”  _ Gross.  _ “Three, I was busy moving here and didn’t have the time to hit up Zuzu’s clubs one last time. You’re the one who wanted to get us here as early as possible”  

“It’s my fault…” Finn said, “that you were too lazy to go and get laid.” 

“Yep. I have to seduce that guy because of you.” They stood there, staring at each other before Mike and him both busted out laughing. Finn laughed until there were tears in his eyes, and Mike followed suit. Except, Mike and Finn both stopped when a smell of burning filled the air. “FUCK!” Finn just laughed harder except… that was his food too.  

“You dumbass!” Finn yelled, rushing into the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it turned out, Lewis did love the gift. Finn had traveled in town with Mike in tow. Mike had offered to drive them, but Finn assured him there was really no point. They were going to have to stop at the saloon anyways- considering Mike had burnt their food. He had called it a casualty of war. 

Lewis had thanked them, and he had given a warm welcome to Mike; however, Lewis had informed them he had some official business to do. He had put the flowers in a vase, and then he had bid them farewell before politely showing them the way out. Mike had seemed confused, and Finn couldn’t blame him. 

Now, they were gathered in the saloon, sat at the bar. Mike had introduced himself to a couple more people, and he’d even gotten stares from a couple people- namely Leah and Emily. Yet, no one had seemed to recognize him. Mike seemed thankful for that as he happily ate away at his spaghetti and sipped on a pint of beer. Finn had chose to not drink. Just the memory of the potion’s hangover had been enough to steer him away from alcohol for the night. 

He and Mike were in the middle of a conversation when he heard a grunt from behind them. He turned to see Shane standing there, hands in his pockets. His eyes were downcast, and he had a five o’clock shadow on his face. The heavy scent of alcohol tinged the air around him. 

“Oh hey,” Mike said first, and Finn felt his hair turning green “What’s up?” Shane looked between the two of them. 

“I just wanted to say you were a good QB for the tunnelers.” Shane said, “really liked what you did for the team.” Mike seemed surprised, but not nearly enough as Finn was. He could feel his hair turning purple from the sheer shock of it all. Shane, the guy who was two and zero for being a dick to Finn, had just complimented Mike. 

“Thanks man. Appreciate it.” Shane huffed. 

“Sucks you had to leave the team, that guy they have replacing you is hardly a good kicker, let alone a good QB.” Mike chuckled. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t super thrilled to leave at first, but when family needs you, you don’t just ignore them. And, Ellis Long is a decent QB, not as good as me, but he was the Tunnelers best chance.” 

“Guess we’ll disagree there.” Shane said, sitting down and ordering a pint. “All I’m gonna say is that without Ellis, the Astros are gonna be suffering for some points.” 

“Ain’t that the truth.” Finn didn’t pay attention to the rest of the conversation. 

At one point, Leah joined him, Elliot trailing behind. As it turned out, Leah was an artist, a sculptor and Elliot was a writer. Finn mentioned his love of drawing before sadly admitting he had stopped a while ago. He did want to get back into it though. During a conversation they were having about art contests, Mike tapped his arm, and Finn turned away from Leah. 

“What up?” He asked. 

“Gotta get home… getting late.” Finn looked over to the clock, barely eight. He raised an eyebrow. “Finny… I’m supposed to be the drunk one. You know nighttime, and I don’t mix very well. Remember?” 

“Oh shit yeah.” Finn said, “It’s just been so long…” 

“Yeah, I saw your hair change colors earlier and had to remind myself that was normal. Forgot you’re a walking mood ring.” 

“Haha, funny dog boy.” 

“Shut up.” Mike shot back, eyes glimmering yellow for a split second.  _ Damn, he is getting close. _ Finn turned to Leah and Elliot, ready to get Mike home. 

“Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta help get this big guy back home.” He said motioning to Mike who was saying goodbye to Shane. Finn still found that weird. 

“No problem,” Elliot said “it was nice to meet a fellow artist.” 

“For sure!” Leah said, “wish you would’ve told me that. Now, you’ve definitely got to come check out some of my sculptures, and I can check out some of your drawings.” 

“Of course,” Finn said knowing he more than likely wouldn’t “I’d have to dig my sketchbook out, haven’t drawn in it for a couple seasons now. You can’t judge too hard though.” 

“No promises.” Leah joked with a kind smile, “see you around Finn.” And then, with that goodbye, he and Mike were heading out the door earning a chorus of: “goodbyes” and “nice to meet yous.” 

In the short time that they had ate their food, the night air had grown cold, and the moon was starting to climb up into the sky. Mike was leaning heavily onto him, and Finn noticed his teeth already sharpening when he yawned.  _ Good idea to get him back home.  _ Well, that had been the plan. Finn hadn’t expected anyone to be out, not really. Except, he heard loud music and heavy footsteps, and he looked to see Alex jogging back into town.

At first, he seemed to react normally throwing Finn a quick wave, but his eyes stopped on Mike, and Finn could practically see the gears turning in his head: Poet Orchards, an older brother who excelled at Gridball, from Zuzu city. 

“What’s his deal?” Mike asked loudly, probably loud enough for Alex to hear. 

“Remember the gridball guy I told you about?” Finn asked, and Mike sighed. 

“Shit I thought that would’ve been Shane, he just didn’t seem super athletic, or your type for that matter.” Mike’s eyes looked over Alex, “he makes way more sense.” 

“He’s trying out for the tunnelers.” Finn whispered, “so be nice.”

“What’s his name?” 

“Alex.” 

“Alex what?” 

“Mullner… I think.” Finn said, and Mike nodded. 

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Mike said, putting on a toothy grin. His newly fanged canine sparkled in the moonlight as Alex walked over. Finn didn’t think he’d ever seen someone so tense, and he’d seen himself.

“Hi uh hey, I mean hello… uhh hey, hi… bro.” Alex stammered out, and Finn watched a blush settle across Alex’s cheeks. He messed with the sleeves of his letterman jacket nervously. “You.. uhm, you might get this a lot, but are you… cause you look a lot like-”

“Mike Poet,” His brother introduced “the one and only.”

“...holy shit.” Finn heard Alex whisper, “I mean… sir, it’s truly an honor to meet you. I doubt you remember me but-” 

“Oh please.” Mike laughed, “Alex Mullner. You’ve tried out a couple times now, right? You look familiar.”

“Y-yes sir.” Alex was practically beaming. 

“Please, just call me Mike, and Finn over here was telling me about how there was a gridball guy in this town. Practically wouldn’t shut up at how talented you were.” Alex stared wide eyed at him, but he said nothing. A silent gratitude in his eyes. Had Finn said that? Absolutely not. Was Mike probably the best wing man? Absolutely yes. 

“I just wanted to say, it’s an honor to meet you once again. I know you probably get that a lot, but I seriously look up to you.” 

“Well, it’s always a pleasure to get to meet a fan, and a talented one at that. I might be off the team, but I’m helping with tryouts in fall, scouting for a QB. Maybe I can help you train sometime?” Alex just nodded. “Awesome man, if I had a sharpie, then I’d sign your jacket or a gridball, if you have one?.”

“Another time?” Alex offered, and Mike just nodded. “Awesome! I mean, cool bro… I’ll catch you sometime later man.” As he walked past, Finn heard him whisper, softly enough that Mike wouldn’t hear:

“Thank you.” Finn watched Alex walk away, and Finn knew his hair was turning a light shade of red. 

“Oh so I’m not allowed to get guys’ numbers, but you can check out their asses.” Finn blushed, hair going quickly from red to pink. 

“I wasn’t!” He defended. Mike looked at him, his blue eyes shifting to a permanent yellow. 

“Sure you weren’t.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn laid in bed, unable to sleep. At first guess, it might’ve been because of the events of the day. Sure, he had done a lot, and he still had more to do- like visit the community center and convince Mike to drink a potion. However, his immediate discomfort was Mike. He’d finished his transformation after they got home, and his brother was sprawled out on his bed in all his golden retriever glory. 

Finn couldn’t say exactly what happened to his brother’s head after he transformed, but he had lumped over to his own room, before turning and sinking himself onto Finn’s bed instead. Finn himself had been half tempted to lay on the couch in the living room, but he knew how uncomfortable that couch was. He’d manage to move Mike enough that he didn’t take up too much  space. 

 

[Rai:] How are things Mike?

 

Finn had sent the group chat a picture of Mike completely starfished out, mouth open as he snored. Finn wondered how much of his personality he retained in that form. 

 

[El:] Holy shit, he still lays in other people’s beds. Classic.

 

[Rai:] If he lays on mine, I’m zapping him. 

 

[Finn:] He can’t help it Rai.

 

[Rai:] And I can’t help frying him. 

 

[El:] You better not. 

 

[Rai:] What’re you gonna do princess?

 

[Finn:] We all know El can take you. 

 

[Rai:] No one asked you, you’re a walking piece of emotional baggage. 

 

[El:] Rai. 

 

[Rai:] Fine, I’ll stop your highness. 

 

[Rai:] But for real, if he lays on me, he gets zapped.

 

[Finn:] He’s basically just a very big golden retriever. 

 

[Finn:] So fluffy! 

 

[El:] Less talkative

 

[Rai:] Ya know, I like Mike as a dog more than Mike as a person

 

[Finn:] Hey, don’t be mean… he’s gonna see this

 

[El:] Spam chat?

 

[Rai:] Yes.

 

[Finn:] Yes. 

 

Finn laughed to himself, and he watched Mike roll over at the end of his- still out like a light. Finn could get used to this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4, woooo. I feel like a broken record saying this, but I do mean it: Thank you all for reading, comments, kudos, bookmarks, everything. It means the world to me. I hope you guys liked it, let me know what you think, and Chapter 5 is already in the works, so I'll see you then.


	5. The Beach and The Mines

The sun hung high in the sky as Finn made his way across the beach. The sand was soft under his feet, and the breeze carried the scent of salt water. Finn found it refreshing. The basket he carried was full of shells: ranging from clams and sea urchins to bright red coral. The fishing rod Willy had given him the other day was strapped on his back, and the promise of the blue waves led him to walk onto the old wooden dock. 

It was a rather peaceful time really- minus the struggle with one exceptionally large tuna that almost hauled Finn off the docks and into the water. In the end, he had won, putting the flopping fish alongside the red snappers, and the sardines. He stopped when his arms hurt, and the salty smell of fish poured from the basket. Finn popped his back, strapped the pole in place, grabbed the basket, and he headed into Willy’s shop. 

Finn had met the fisherman a couple days ago after receiving a letter in the mail. He’d found it strange that the town did things so old fashionedly, but he had to admit it added to the quaintness of the town. 

The shop itself was nice. Glass cases that displayed various types of tackle and gear all in a rather colorful arrangement. The wooden panel walls were lined with various types of fishing rods, but Finn found himself focusing on an iridium one at the very end. Yet, the price tag of almost ten-thousand gold was enough to steer him in Willy’s direction. Maybe later he’d be able to afford that.  _ If only.  _

The fisherman still had the same pipe in his mouth that Finn had seen when he had run into him on the docks. His beard was scraggly and his brown hair unkempt, but Finn guessed it suited him. His lips curled around the wood of the pipe as he smiled and called out a hearty: 

“Good afternoon.” Finn nodded, lifting the basket to the counter. Willy’s eyes seemingly sparkled at the sight of the fish. Finn just wondered how the smell didn’t bother him. “Aw, good catches this day?” 

“I’ll let you be the judge of that.” Finn joked, and Willy got to work. It was almost eerily similar to how Pierre’s shop had been. He just guessed there wasn’t much for Willy to do other than mumble comments under his breath. Finn caught some of it: talks of fish recipes, crab cakes, and shell decorations. Finn decided to ask Willy if he could keep a couple knowing Mike could some amazing things with some tuna and sea urchin. For himself, Finn kept a bit of coral, deciding to put it in his room. It would make a nice souvenir. 

Once all was done, Finn left the shop two-thousand gold richer. Apparently, some of the fish had been high quality. He looked up to the sky. It was almost summer-esque, blue and clear. If it wasn’t for the hint of winter that still came in from the sea, then Finn would’ve believed it. The basket was lighter as he made his way towards the beach. The whole time, his eyes stayed trained on the treeline and the soft sun in the sky. He was actually so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Alex walking towards him until he ran smack into him. 

Finn yelped, dropping the basket into the sand as he stumbled. Alex let out a confused grumble, and Finn found himself tripping over his own feet ready to crash beside the basket until he felt Alex’s arms around him. Finn looked up to see Alex staring down at him, an amused grin on his face. Finn regained his own balance, and Alex let him go, not before laughing. 

“Wow, you really are a clutz.” Finn went wide eyed. 

“I’m not!” Alex shrugged. 

“I guess accident prone suits you more.” Finn felt his skin flushing red, and he reached up to tug his hat down before realizing it wasn’t on his head anymore. He scrambled around for a moment, eyes scanning the pearl white sand before Alex coughed, and Finn turned to see him holding the beanie. “It fell off when you ran into me.” He explained. Finn sighed, taking the hat and putting it on his head. Still, Finn was in the clear… until: “I did think your hair was green though. Haley didn’t understand why a guy would dye their hair the color of moss.” 

“Excuse me.” Finn said, and the flush was back in full bloom. 

“It’s pink.” Alex explained grabbing a spare strand. Finn yelped, but the cotton candy colored strand was tugged into view. Finn said nothing, awkwardly shuffling. Alex looked up at him, and he put a grin on his face, socking Finn in the arm. “It looks good. I wasn’t insulting you or anything man.” Finn took in a deep breath.  _ Thank Yoba.  _

“Thanks… I’m not used to getting compliments on it.” Finn thought back to high school when his hair had started rotating between its three main colors. Back then, insults had been more common than anything else. 

“Ah, fuck em then.” Alex said with a smile. “Anyways, you look you were about to leave, but is there any chance I could convince you to toss the gridball with me for a bit. Unless you’re only good at catching grid balls with the back of your head.” Finn huffed. 

“That was more your fault than mine.”

“Is that a yes?” Finn looked at the basket of fish beside him. He knew he’d need to get them home sooner than later. But, Mike would probably be into the mines until late. He had transformed his first two nights in Pelican Town which should’ve kept him in check for the next few. 

“Only for a bit.” Finn said, “but yeah… just go easy on me- I’m not my brother.” 

“No promises.” Alex joked, launching the ball at Finn and charging forward. Finn gulped. Maybe this had been a mistake. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn felt the sand beneath him as he panted, one arm in the cold sand, and another on his chest. Sweat poured from his hair, and it soaked into his hair, but Finn knew he had to keep the beanie on. He’d expose his secret in time, but that’s what he needed: time. Alex was beside him, breathing almost in sync with Finn. 

“You aren’t half bad.” Alex commented while they looked up to the darkening sky. “For a rookie at least.” Finn rolled his eyes, not that Alex could see it. 

“Mike made the rest of our siblings and I all go against him when we were younger… it never ended well.” 

“How so?” Alex asked. Finn thought back to their old house, and he remembered how the various games had ended. El and Rai arguing while Mike tackled him into the wall to score. At least, with himself knocked out, he had ignored the chaos that Rai and El caused when they went at it. Though, being smashed into a wall wasn’t all that enjoyable in itself. 

“Just sibling rivalries.” Finn explained, a very lacking explanation, but Finn had little clue how to tell Alex: ‘Oh well, my sister may have accidentally broke my older brother’s arm, and he may have electrocuted her so hard she twitched for a whole week. And, that’s on top of Mike, transformed into a giant golden retriever and slamming the two of them into the ground.’ That had been trouble enough explaining to his parents all those years ago, and they knew about all their… special attributes. Alex would probably think he was crazy. 

“Ah I never really got to experience that.” Finn looked over to Alex. His hair and shirt were soaked with sweat. Alex looked over at him. “I’m an only child. I always wanted a sibling though. A younger brother or sister to play gridball with- never got the chance.” His face got a dark look on it, that seemed out of place, but it was gone in a moment. 

“Siblings aren’t all what they’re cracked up to be.” Finn admitted, “sometimes they’re a pain in the ass, but I guess they’re there for you when you need them. Most of the time anyways. Other times, they can eat all your damn food when you buy it cause they’re hungry.” 

“I guess that’s fair. The closest thing I’ve ever had to a siblings is Hailey- she’s my best friend… and she was my only friend when I first moved here.” 

“I thought you two would be dating.” Finn said, “just kinda seemed plausible. The jock and the cheerleader after all.” 

“Date Hailey?” Alex sounded confused, “she’s too much of a sister to me, and she’s not my type. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s attractive, but she’s also just not for me… ya know?” Finn nodded. “You think she’s cute?” Alex asked, “did you want to know if she’s available? Cause I can put in a good word for you. Sorta owe you after what you did for me with your brother… considering one of our only times talking before then was me nailing you with a gridball.” Finn laughed so hard he almost started crying. 

“Fair enough about the brother thing, but I thought it’d be a nice thing to do. You seemed genuine.” 

“You barely know me.” Alex reminded him, and Finn shrugged. 

“I’m good at reading people. Call it a sixth sense.” Finn knew people were usually better at reading him, mainly because of the hair, but it did hold some truth. Though, it usually took skin on skin contact, Finn was able to decipher people’s emotions if need be as well as experience them himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he had done that though.  _ Before college.  _

“I am gonna go pro though, and I’m gonna get on the tunnelers.” He sounded smug. Finn looked over at Alex. 

“I know. Why do you think I told Mike all that stuff?” Sure, Finn hadn’t actually told Mike anything other than the base love of gridball and the tunnelers, but Finn was going to run with it because he did mean it. “I probably should be heading home soon though… I need to beat Mike back.” Finn shuffled to his feet, and he stretched an arm out to pull Alex up. Alex grabbed it, but he tugged too hard, and Finn was pulled down. He landed with his knees planted either side of Alex, their noses almost touching. In the soft lighting, Finn could see a blush settling on Alex’s cheeks. Finn didn’t move. 

“Sorry about that.” Alex said, letting out an awkward chuckle. “I forget my own strength sometimes.” Finn let out an awkward chuckle of his own. His eyes tracing over Alex’s features. “You uh, you good?” Finn went wide eyed, pulling himself off. 

“Shit, sorry… just… got… a bit jumbled up is all.” 

“All good man.” Alex said as he picked himself up, “guess we can head into town together now though.” Finn scratched the back of his neck nervously. 

“Guess uh… guess we can.” He tried to not focus on the way their hands brushed against one another, or the soft kindness of Alex’s smile as he said goodbye. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn was sat on the couch in the living watching the clock tick by. He had put the fish away, and he had set the coral on a shelf in his room. The evening had passed by in a blur of junk food and tv shows. His legs propped up on the coffee table, it almost felt like he was back in Zuzu. Despite the comfort, Finn couldn’t keep his eyes from focusing on the clock. It kept getting later and later, but Mike still wasn’t back. Finn knew he wouldn’t get a signal in the minds so calling or texting was pointless. However, the worry didn’t go away, and Finn found himself throwing on a jacket when the clock ticked past midnight. 

The summer sky and ocean breeze from earlier had given way to a starry sky and a chilled breeze. Finn used the flashlight on his phone to guide himself through the dark night, but it only dulled the creepy aura the forest had so much. Zuzu was covered with bright street lights and skyscrapers that shone. Its light could be seen for miles on end. The forest was the opposite. It seemed all the starlight had been sucked into the canopy of tree leaves. 

Even with his flashlight, Finn ran into a handful of branches, and he heard the caw of birds as he walked through. The underbrush had never seemed so scary. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. 

He stumbled into town a little disheveled; however, with the glow of the streetlights and his phone, he was able to make it to the cliff side staircase that took him on the right path to the mines. Apart from the rush of the river and the sound of his footsteps, it was silent. He looked around, making sure Mike hadn’t collapsed or transformed in the middle of his walk home. Yet, the harder he looked, he found no sign of the Mike or his werewolf counterpart. 

The walk continued in nervous silence until Finn reached Sebastian’s house. He hadn’t been this far up the mountain apart from a foraging trip two days ago to try and find some more wild horseradishes. (Considering Mike had seriously burned their last meal- Finn guessed it wouldn’t hurt to give them a second chance.) Cue Finn’s surprise when he ran into another person that same day. Well… two people. Finn nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of Sebastian, but the true scare was Mike clinging to him. His brother looked terrible.

His lip was busted, and one of his eyes was so swollen Finn could barely see under the purple skin. Mike’s leg was wrapped in a mixture of what looked like used bubble wrap and sticks making some sort of makeshift cast. His right arm hung limply at his side, and his hair- usually bright as the sun - had been filled with dirt, grime, and rocks- painting it brown. 

“Mike?!” Finn said rushing over. His brother winced at the noise, and Finn almost recoiled from the stink that clung to him. It was the heavy scent of blood and slime, and the bag Sebastian was holding had an earthy smell to him. 

Mike opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came was a splatter of scarlet blood. “What the hell happened?” He asked Sebastian. The boy just shrugged. His dark hair fell over his eyes. 

“I found him crawling out of the mines.” Sebastian looked over at Mike, “guy looked like an old yeller wanting to be put down.” Finn thought of Mike in his dog form and paled at the comparison. “I need help getting him to Harvey… he looks like he needs medical treatment.” Mike coughed up dark blood, and the splotches soaked into the soft soil. “Correction, he needs immediate medical attention.” Finn looked down at his hands, thoughts racing through his head. “Are you going to help me?” Sebastian asked, “or are you just going to stand there?” 

“We don’t need to get him to a doctor, just help me lay him down.” 

“What?!” Sebastian practically yelled, “He needs a doctor! Maybe surgery! And you. Want me. To lay him. On the dirty, cold, and hard ground?” Finn nodded. “Did you hit your head when you came over here?!” 

“Trust me.” Finn said, “just try not to freak out.” After a moment of heated stares, Sebastian begrudgingly started to lay back down, muttering something about how Finn was crazy and ridiculous, but Finn ignored him. Instead, he kneeled beside Mike. His brother, who was over six feet, built like a truck, and never cried whimpered when his head rested on the ground. Finn paled. A doctor might be the safer route- for both of them -but he worried that a doctor might miss something. Finn could fix him with zero complications. 

Finn put his hands gently on either side of Mike’s face, and his brother let out a grunt of pain at the initial contact. “Sorry.” Finn whispered, “you’ll feel better in a sec. Promise.” Sebastian had settled in the grass beside Mike, dark eyes filled with worry. A strange sight on such an apathetic individual. It didn’t take long for Sebastian’s annoyance turn to worry as Finn’s hands started to emit a soft, rainbow colored light. 

“What the fuck?” Sebastian asked. Finn already could feel the exhaustion starting to creep into his body, it’d been far too long since he’d done this. The soft light overtook Mike’s body, and Finn watched carefully as the wounds started to heal. His arm straightened out, the swelling around his eye went down, and his labored breathing evened out. 

Finn worked meticulously, letting the light soak into every wound, into every gash, and into every small abrasion. He only stopped when Mike sat up on his accord, panting. He took the makeshift cast off, and his confusion glazed eyes stared at Finn. Sebastian was slack jawed, watching in a mixture of amazement and shock. Mike’s confusion quickly morphed into anger once he realized what Finn had done. Finn himself knew the consequences far too well, and the concern having died down only served to put those consequences at the forefront of his mind.

“You idiot!” Mike yelled, “what the hell did you do that for?” 

“W-what… what exactly… was that?” Sebastian asked. Finn opened his mouth to respond, but the only sound that came out was a wheezing sound that masked his pain. Finn gasped, and his vision got splotchy as it felt like his ribs were kicked in. Whenever he used his powers altruistically, he absorbed and cured the pain. So, while any injuries he was about to feel where in his head, they were about to be as intensive- if not -more intensive than what Mike had been going through. Mike and Sebastian both moved forward as Finn collapsed against the cold ground. 

His body felt like it was slowly breaking, a sharp shooting pain that raced up his left leg. The same one Mike had snapped. He had to close his right eye as the pain raced around it, and it pierced his vision with splotches of black. Finn’s hand grabbed a tuft of grass, and he had to muffle his scream when his arm went numb. How had Mike made it out of the mine like this? More importantly, what had he encountered that had done this to him? The rest of the pain came in quick bursts, a pain in his jaw that made it hard to breathe, his hands feeling like they were covered with blood, and a sharp headache that made his ears ring. Finally, it stopped. 

“Finn!” Mike said, but Finn couldn’t tell if he screamed it or not. It just seemed so loud. He knew he wasn’t in physical distress, but mentally he was doing backflips. His pain receptors were buzzing, and he lacked the control to stop himself from crying out in agony. His tears felt warm, and they stung the faux cuts on his skin. 

“What did he d-” Finn tried to listen to what Sebastian and Mike were saying; however, their voices were distorted- almost static. It was like they were a satellite tv during a thunderstorm, and Finn imagined their bodies turning black, white, and gray like the fuzzy pictures that would be left on the screen. 

At one point, he felt arms wrap around him, and he knew it should’ve been comforting... It didn’t feel like it though. He looked up at the figure holding him, and he saw the static screen of the television. In between the blurs though, he saw Alex’s kind smile, and he could smell the ocean from that morning. Finn gave a smile of his own, and he reached up to touch Alex’s face. And then, in a sudden moment, Finn let his arm drop, and he closed his eyes.

In his dreams, he saw fields of rushing static, and he felt the ebb of pain that seeped through his body. And, though he tried, he couldn’t get the static to turn into something coherent. He was stuck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Sorry this took so long to get out! Life got in the way of some of the editing/writing, and I had to put this on the back burner. I had plans for it to be longer, but I liked the finish product and wanted to give you guys something. As always, I hoped you liked it, and I will see you next time! Hopefully, it won't be as long as a break. <3


	6. Colors and Everything In Between

Finn wasn’t awake. He knew that much as he looked around. The static he had gotten used to for however long had turned into something different. The greys and blacks that clashed in an almost painful manner had bled into reds and greens that stretched over each other. Finn didn’t move as they passed around him, and as quick as they were there- they were gone. He turned watching them fade, and he turned back around to see bright blues and vibrant purples drowning in their wake.

Eventually, he grew tired of the passing spectrum, and he grabbed hold of one bright yellow. It tugged him along as if he was weightless- and Yoba -Finn might’ve been weightless in that moment. Before long, the yellow took shape, and he found himself on the back of a canary with wings the color of platinum and bronze feathers inked into its golden hue. Finn pressed close to it, feeling the hum of its body as it flew. 

He maneuvered himself slowly, feeling the dull ache in his bones and body, until he was laying on the back of the canary and staring upwards. Above him, was an autumn sky, and the stars were falling in various reds and oranges like the leaves from the trees. Finn caught a couple in his hands, but they crumbled into sparkling bits of silver. Finn frowned, and he looked back at the canary to see it crumbling beneath him. Finn crumbled with it, letting himself fall among the stars and feathers. And then, before he crashed into the cold sea of silver that had formed, he jolted with a start. 

The peace of the multiple colors was replaced with a wooden ceiling and soft lighting. Finn gasped, and he struggled to move. Unlike his dream, he felt stuck. His body was stiff and the bed below him felt like it was stabbing into his back. Finn let out a choked sob that morphed into a somewhat decent yell. Finn looked down at himself with a grimace. He was stretched out, but his body was sprung like a jackinthebox. Except, he couldn’t spring.

He felt tears in his eyes when he tried to move, and he wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep and swim through the sea of pastel colors. Yet, his mind was awake. It was only when he had let out another choked sob that he heard footsteps- heavy, pounding footsteps approaching. It hurt, but Finn tilted his head enough to see the doorway. 

Mike was there, covered in dirt and sweat gloves on his hands that were splotched brown. Then, it all came rushing back. Mike had been hurt, and Finn had healed him… Finn had healed him. He thought of Sebastian’s bewildered face, and he felt even worse. Sebastian knew, to some extent, what Finn was. 

Mike walked over, gloves taken off, and he crouched beside the bed. His eyes were filled with worry, and Finn let out another sob when Mike’s hand touched his forehead. Mike recoiled. 

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Mike said, “hang on Finny.” Finn didn’t know there was much else he could do but wait as Mike left. Finn imagined the canary as he laid on the bed- tried to lull him back to its warm and soft feathers. But, by the time Mike returned, Finn was still awake. Mike crouched beside him, a gentle smile on his face. A cold rag was placed on his forehead, and Finn shivered slightly. Finn went to speak, but the only sound that managed to come out was a dull croaking. His throat felt raw. 

Mike stared at him sadly, “It’ll be okay Finny. Just try to get some rest. We’ll talk when you feel better.” Finn stayed still as Mike said that managing to nod the tiniest bit until his eyes closed on their own accord.

The second dreams he had that day seemingly picked up where the others had stopped as if he had just paused them and resumed. He was back in the sea of silver, and he let out a sigh- exhaling a white breathe that turned into a spray of snowflakes. Finn smiled and before he knew it, he wasn’t falling anymore. Instead, he was swimming. 

The sea of white and silver had turned into mounds of glistening snow that crashed into each other like waves in the ocean. Finn floated peacefully on top of them, and he enjoyed the way the colors landed on him. Still, the ocean reminded him of the beach, and it played at the forefront of his mind until the colors listened to him. They painted the snow a dark blue until it was waves, and Finn found himself carried to a bank of tan sand that was warm and gentle. He saw the colorless sky morphed into a cerulean blue devoid of clouds. Finn relaxed into the sand. 

He didn’t know how long he stayed there uninterrupted, but he looked over at one point to the feeling of something warm and saw Alex. He was curled in on himself, and Finn curiously peeked over to see his usually carefree and arrogant features contorted into a mixture of sadness and loneliness. For the first time since he started dreaming, Finn heard sound. It was a mixture of soothing and simple of notes that played in a smooth pattern until they eventually died out. He watched Alex crack an almost invisible smile, and Finn went to reach out to him- only to have him separate in a burst of colors. 

Finn stayed still as they swirled away carried by the breeze, and he tucked in on himself- the chill of Alex’s sadness reaching deep into him, and it tugged him gently to the shore line. The dark water crashed into the sand, and Finn let himself be tugged forward until he was submerged. Finn closed his eyes at first, and he let himself feel the coolness of the color as it tugged him further and further. He only opened them when the pull stopped. 

Finn was weightless again, floating in a sea of blackness that stained against him like ink. It felt cold and warm. It was light and heavy. It was everything and still nothing. Finn took in a deep breathe, and he opened his eyes- letting the darkness wash off of him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn’s second time waking up from the strange colors and scenes was much more enjoyable than the first. For starters, looking around didn’t send spikes of pain throughout his entire body. On top of that, he managed to sit up without crying. Sure, his body still felt stiff, and it had a dull ache, but considering how much he’d healed Mike… he was grateful he was even able to move yet. 

Finn groaned as he sat up, and he looked around the room carefully. His window was splattered with raindrops. Finn listened to the soft pitter patter on the roof, and he tucked in on himself, tugging the sheets and comforter over himself. He laid in the bed for a decent chunk of time, letting the warmth of the bed drag him to it. Yet, a familiar smell found his nose, and Finn could practically hear his stomach growl. Finn grumbled, throwing the blankets off and stepping out of the bed. He tensed up as he put weight on his legs, but his body seemed to have recovered from his pseudo injuries. 

Despite that, his body still felt disoriented, and he could feel a slight shaking as he walked like he’d rode a roller coaster too many times. He managed to make it down the staircase without incident, and he turned into the kitchen to see Mike over the stove belting a song very loudly… and very badly. Finn chuckled, and it must’ve been a bit loud because Mike turned a surprised look on his face. 

“You’re awake? And you’re walking?” Mike asked. Finn nodded, scratching his arm slightly. His eyes wandered over to the stove, and he practically drooled: sausage, pancakes, iced cinnamon rolls on the counter. Finn’s stomach growled. Mike looked at him, eyebrow raised: “food first, talk after?” Finn gave a sheepish nod and headed over to the table. 

It wasn’t long before Mike had a plate in front of him, and Finn rushed to it not realizing just how hungry he was. He was two cinnamon rolls, four sausages, and about five spoonfuls of scrambled eggs in when Mike snorted. “Slow down, you’re gonna get sick.” Finn swallowed his bite of eggs and looked down.

“Sorry.” He said, “just really hungry.” Mike huffed, crossing his arms.

“You’ve been out for the usual five days, so I assumed you would be.” Finn looked at his brother, “I’m not gonna start chastising you… even though I should.” He said the last part softer. “But, I did think we agreed you’d never do that again.” Finn rolled his eyes.

“You were hurt.” Finn reminded him, “and it could’ve been fatal.” 

“That’s not an excuse.” Mike shot back burying his face in his hands, “You think you’d learn your lesson. Especially after you healed my spine fracture.” Finn took a bit of his sausage.

“Are you really going bring that up?” Finn asked somewhat angirly. He watched the black streaks of his hair flare red. “You were going to be paralyzed. I did what I had to do.” 

“And you weren’t able to walk for months.” Mike said, “so I’m pretty sure we’d agreed- as a family -you would never do that again. No matter what.” 

“Things change.” Finn said. 

“Not that much.” Mike argued, resigning himself into his cup of coffee. Finn rolled his eyes. 

“Thought you weren’t going to chastise me.” A loud clap of thunder shook the house. Finn looked out the window. The storm was really starting to pick up. Finn thought back to his dream he had when Mike first arrived. This one seemed different somehow.

“I’m trying not to.” Mike said, and Finn heard an edge to his voice. He looked up, and he noticed a yellow flicker in Mike’s eyes. “I haven’t been able to transform because I was worried about you. You were stirring in your sleep a lot, I needed to be conscious just in case. So, understand, I don’t want to have an argument… it’s just hard… to keep myself under control right now.” 

“I didn’t mean to worry you… sorry.” Finn said, eating slower. Mike sighed across from him, but he didn’t say anything else. They finished their meals in silence, and Finn helped Mike with the clean up. 

“I’m not mad at you by the way… I was just scared.” Mike said over a particular bright flash of lightning. “You were so limp when I carried you back, and I had to explain everything well suppressing the urge to just…” Mike stopped himself. Finn looked over.

“Does Sebastian know… about you as well as me?” Finn asked. Mike stayed silent. “Mike?”

“To an extent… yes. I explained your hair, your emotional connection, your healing ability… he asked a lot of questions on the walk over, and I nearly fully wolfed out cause I was just so stressed and scared.” Finn scrubbed the pan he was cleaning harder. “He knows there’s something up with me as well now.” Finn stayed silent. “Also, you missed a couple things while you were recovering.” 

“Like what?” Finn asked

“Well, El isn’t going to be here soon. She had problems getting out of her company contract, they’re making her stay to finish a couple cases- said it might be until mid summer when she can get here now.” 

“I take it she’s pissed.” Finn said. Mike let out a hearty laugh. 

“That’s an understatement.” Mike said, “at least she has here specialty to help her out.” Finn nodded. “You ever think we got the shitty end when it came to our abilities?”

“Hmmm?” Finn hummed, cleaning icing off a spoon.

“I mean… you got magic hair, the ability to feel what other people feel, and hurt yourself. I got the ability to turn into a glorified golden retriever, and the inability to resist it when someone throws a stick.” Finn laughed, the confrontation from earlier melting away.

“You also got charisma, likability, good looks, and killer athleticism.” Mike looked over at him, with a lopsided grin.

“Oh you flatter me.” Finn snorted, opening their dishwasher. 

“What else did I miss?” 

“Uhm, Alex stopped by the other day.” Finn looked up, curious, “his grandma baked us a batch of her chocolate chip cookies.” Finn tried to hide his disappointment. He mentally chided himself. Alex and him were barely friends and even that was dismiss able. If you counted getting hit with a gridball, catching said gridball, and talking being friends, then sure by some standard they were friends. “Don’t look too gloomy. He did ask if you were around. I told him you were under the weather and were resting.” Finn smiled, and Mike looked at him wide eyed. Finn didn’t understand why and then a few blonde hairs fell over his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve seen your hair shift colors that quickly for a long time. Went from a light blue to a bright yellow just like that. I take it you two are getting along rather well.”

“I guess you could say that.” Finn said, “we’re just friends.” 

“ _ For now. _ ” Mike said. Finn shot him a glare. 

“Not every interaction I have with a dude has to be romantic- or sexual.” Finn reminded Mike- who merely shrugged.

“Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like it.” 

“I barely know him.” Finn replied, closing the dishwasher, “most of our interactions have ended with me getting hurt. And, on that note, I have a full stomach, and I’m going to go shower real quick.” 

“If you’re thinking of Alex, make it a cold one!” Mike called as Finn headed up the stairs.

“You’re disgusting!” Finn yelled back, ignoring the way his hair turned a bright pink. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the rush of the wind and the flashes of lightning that made it hard to pay attention to the gridball game Mike had turned on. His brother was sitting on the couch beside him, starting his subtle transformation into his wolf form while he sipped on a beer. Finn was stretched out, in a pair of over sized sweatpants and a hoodie that hung down to his knees. His hair was brown, falling over his eyes- still slightly damp even after the whole afternoon. They stayed like that for a while, unmoving and silent until a loud bang shook the house.

Finn jolted, and Mike covered his ears looking around. Finn blamed it on the storm and settled back into his seat. Mike on the other sat up and chugged the rest of his beer. He threw a wave over his shoulder. 

“I’m gonna go crawl under the covers and try to hope this storm doesn’t bother me too much.” Finn nodded, turning his attention back to the television. “Night.”

“Night.” Finn mumbled back, hiding himself in the hoodie a bit more. It must’ve been ten or twenty minutes before Finn heard another bang and then another. The lights flickered, and Finn shivered as the air in the room turned cold and heavy. Finn picked himself up from his nook on the couch and headed over to the window. He peeked through the blinds.

It was hard to see anything. The night was even darker with the pouring rain. He managed to make out a couple things. The man made lake filling with water, the field of colorful flowers that needed picking, Mike’s shiny red car, and a flash of bright purple that sparkled in the storm. Finn stood bewildered, trying to catch sight of it again until a slight whooshing sound caught his attention, and Finn looked to where it had came from: the front door. On the ground, was a sheet of golden paper with purple ink: Finn raised an eyebrow. The Wizard? Finn headed over and crouched down, grabbing the letter. He frowned as he started to read it. 

_ Dear Finn and the second new addition to the valley, _

 

_ I write to you in attempts to have Finn return to my tower in Cindersap, as well as the lycanthrope for an initial meeting. The spirits have talked to me in urgency of your recent events. There was something more to your emotional magics after all- I can only expect there to be more. For the lycanthrope, I would like to discuss your transformations. More importantly, I would like to discuss the repression and frequency I have sensed over the past few days.  _

_ On top of this Finn, the Juminos we discussed have growing anticipation, it shows in the greens of the leaves, the blue of the water, and the blackness of the sky. I believe your family might have a job to do in the valley besides save that farm. Then again, I know very well you all had different reasons for retreating to our quaint town.  _

_ Nevertheless, I expect you tomorrow. The storm will break at three am, almost exactly. You will have clean up to do, some explaining as well, and even a fateful encounter…. Depends on how things go for that last one how fateful it will be. Whether it defines you or not, I digress. I’ll see you tomorrow.  _

 

_ Sincerely,  _

  1. _Rasmodius. - The Wizard_



 

Finn reread the letter over one more time before pinching the bridge of his nose. After this week’s events, Finn had a negative desire to introduce Mike to the Wizard, and the talk of Juminos, the community center, and everything else. Finn sighed. He’d also have to convince Mike to drink one of the potions he stored up in his room which would be a challenge in itself; however, the Wizard didn’t seem to have any malicious intent from what Finn picked up on. 

A couple minutes of contemplation later, and Finn was shutting down for the night- putting Mike’s beers in the recycles, turning the television off, and then it was up to his room. He passed by Mike’s on his way, and he caught sight of his brother laying on the rug on his floor- transformation completed. His brother looked up, and Finn patted his leg gently. Mike looked up, tilted his head, and started walking over. 

Finn set the letter on his nightstand, and Mike jumped on the end of his bed sprawling out. Before there was even a chance for Finn to crawl into his own bed, a gentle snore was already starting to come from the dog. Finn forced himself to hold the laugh in while he got under the covers. He was almost asleep when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. Finn grabbed it and went to unlock it only to freeze. A glaring three-hundred unread messages made him pale. Finn grumbled and started to go through them.

Most of them were expected, and Finn winced when Rai and El called him an idiot on numerous occasions. Despite it, there was still genuine concern in their messages. Mike had asked for advice on how to care for him, and they had given their best answers. Finn could hear his mother’s voice in the messages. “Let him rest, wet his lips with a rag, if he gets to hot get a cold rag, if he mumbles try to make sense of it, and make sure he sleeps for at least four days.” The most recent text stood brightly.

 

[El:] How’s it going Mike? 

 

Finn looked at his sleepy brother and sighed, typing up a quick reply.

 

[Finn:] Mike’s asleep. I’m alive. Things are going good. 

 

[Finn:] Sorry to hear you got stuck in your contract til Summer.

 

[El:] It’s whatever. Glad you’re okay.

 

He got ready to put his phone down after a minute of no other message when it buzzed again.

 

[El:] I did think we agreed that you wouldn’t do that anymore though. I’m very disappointed in you. 

 

[Finn:] I already had this conversation with Mike. 

 

[El:] I don’t care. What you did- was not only reckless, was an endangerment to your mental state and emotional state. 

 

[El:] Also, might I add, the extent of the injuries you healed- while they can’t physically kill you -might’ve been too much for you to handle. 

 

[El:] And, furthermore- since you seemed to forget -you do understand that the side effects can become physical and still affect your mental/emotional state as well.

 

[Finn:] I’m fine. I understand the risks.

 

[El:] Do you?

 

[Finn:] Pretty sure. I’ve been through it before.

 

[Rai:] Yeah how could Finn forget the bouts of narcolepsy because of it, his irrationality, mood swings, his overall shift of demeanor for a week afterwards. 

 

[Finn:] I’ve been fine today. 

 

[Rai:] Whatever you say. 

 

[El:] It will probably manifest sooner rather than later. Hope you’re ready for the aftermath. I have to go to bed, early meeting tomorrow morning. 

 

[El:] Good night. 

 

[Rai:] And I have a meeting with Juno and her divorce lawyer. So I’m out. Night, you walking mood ring. 

 

Finn rolled his eyes as he sat the phone down. Consequences? Finn knew the consequences of what he had done. Dreams that resembled acid trips had been enough. He shook the thought off. If it did come, then he’d deal with it. He’d done it before after all. Surely, he of all people knew the repercussions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry this took so long to come out- Thanksgiving and Christmas wore me out. I was bouncing around family for a solid month and had little time to write. Anywho, I have more things planned out since that was the only real thing I could do. I hope you all had good holidays and your new years is great as well. Thanks for reading!


	7. The Community Center And Us

Finn groaned as he dumped the stones he had been carrying into the chest. He wiped his brow, taking in a deep breath. The jacket he had tied against his waist had its sleeve dragging into the saturated soil as he walked across their cleared out field. When the wizard had mentioned clean up in his letter, he hadn’t meant a light dusting. No, he had meant a whole spring cleaning.

The branches from the oak trees and maple trees had snapped, coating the ground in a twiggy minefield. Not to mention Mike and him had spent half of the morning raking their leaves and collecting them into trash bags. On top of that, the cliff side behind the house had sent a cache of stones down, and they had littered the soil. Finn had smashed his feet into them too many times to count already- thank Yoba for shoes. Finn walked back over to the pile of stones Mike had stacked, grabbing another handful and heading back over to the chest.

As he passed their field of colorful flowers, a deep frown bloomed on his face. For the most part, they were tattered. Some had been outright uprooted. Others had stems petals adorned with holes. Few, and very few, were salvageable. It had formed a lump in Finn’s throat- that was their primary source of income this week, and the storm had practically thrown that out the window. 

Mike was crouched beside them, carefully uprooting the ones they could sell to Pierre, and tucking them neatly into a planter, packing them with soft soil. Finn gave a slight smile as he walked past, and Mike returned it; however, his eyes were groggy, and his smile was weathered. Finn blamed it on the potion his brother had drank earlier that morning. It had taken him a solid thirty minutes to groggily move from his spot on Finn’s bed, and he had shook his head- asking what type of drugs were in that thing to make him see green. Finn had shrugged.

Now, Finn watched his brother with caution, not knowing if his brother had bought the Wizard’s story, or if he just thought Finn was drugging him. Mike trusted him better than that though, and Finn shook off the worry while he carried the stones in a repeated fashion

It was only when he dumped the last load in the chest- that was almost full, and Mike had got the last good tulip in the basket, that Finn heard a set of footsteps approaching. Mike was already walking over, a bright smile on his so different from the one he had a little bit ago. Approaching, in a familiar black sweater, was Sebastian. Sebastian what was he… Finn stopped. 

“Some explaining to do.” He mumbled to himself, looking at the dirt. By the time he looked back up, Mike and Sebastian were both walking over. Finn wanted nothing more than to dart into the house, hide in his bed, avoid the conversation of his hair, his powers… his everything. Yet, he had finally decided to run inside when Mike and Sebastian were already in front of him. He was stuck. 

“I forgot to mention Sebastian was coming over.” Mike explained when Sebastian said nothing, and Finn outright refused to.  “He wanted to ask you about some stuff… that I think you’d be better at answering.” Finn stopped himself from sighing. Instead, he forced a smile. 

“Sure.” Finn said, looking around for some excuse to keep himself busy for a minute or two, to try and think up some answers. The leaves were raked. The wood was stacked. The flowers thrown away or put in pots. The stones were stored. He tugged the short sleeve of his shirt tightly. “Why don’t we head inside, it’s kinda icky out here.” Finn practically bolted up the steps, and he heard Mike and Sebastian following carefully behind.

“He gets a bit nervous  when he has to explain… everything.” Mike said kindly. “Living room is to the right, I’m gonna go to the kitchen and make us lunch- you want any sandwiches?” Finn missed Sebastian’s reply as he headed into the house, and he headed over to the living room. Finn looked at the couch with its blanket draped over it, and he decided to sit in the old recliner tucked by the window. 

Finn nestled into the old leather, and he let himself sink into its cold stretch. Finn took in a deep breath, looked down at his hands, and he locked back up ready to face Sebastian except… he wasn’t facing Sebastian- he wasn’t even sat on the recliner anymore. He was sat on the floor in front of it, and in its seat was his grandfather. Finn blinked, rubbed his eyes, but his grandfather was still there when he opened them back up. 

He looked around the living room, and he noticed the bay window was open. The summer air drifted in, and it washed over Finn’s skin. He peeked out at the clear blue sky before turning back to look at his grandfather. He had a book on his lap, and he was reading. The words sounded muddied in Finn’s ears, and he looked around- going wide eyed. He saw his siblings, young again.

Mike was sat directly in front of their grandpa, a bright red cape on his back. His blonde hair was long and curly. El and Rai were sat beside him, El’s brown hair pulled into a set of pigtails, her amber eyes sparkling, and Rai’s black locks were cropped short. He looked up at his grandfather, tilting his head slightly, and his grandfather looked at him, smiled, and said:

“Finn?” Finn blinked and looked up. The scene melted away in front of him until the bay window was closed, Finn was back on the recliner, and Sebastian was in front of him- a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright? 

“Y-y-yeah.” Finn stammered, “must’ve drifted off for a second there… long morning.” Sebastian looked at him blankly, and Finn didn’t know if he had been trying to convince him or himself. “Have a seat,” He offered pointing to the couch “you wanted to ask me some questions, right?” Sebastian nodded, heading over to the couch. At first, they stared at each other, and Finn could feel the anxiety start to kick in.

“That.” Sebastian said. Finn raised an eyebrow. “Your hair.” Sebastian said, pointing to it. Finn caught sight of the mossy green. “Why does it change colors? Mike said it’s something to do with you being an empath… is that true?” 

“Yeah uhm…” Finn twiddled his thumbs, “it changes colors based on my emotional state.” Now, it was Sebastian’s turn to raise an eyebrow. 

“So… each color has a meaning?” 

“Pretty much.” Finn said, “green correlates with my nervousness… anxiousness really.” 

“What other colors are there?” Sebastian asked, and Finn realized his eyes were sparkling. He wasn’t being mean or invasive… he was…. Curious. 

“Well, it depends really.” Finn started with, “some colors have multiple meanings… it’s sorta variant on the shade. Pink is my shyness, while a mediate red is love, but a deep red would correlate with my anger.” Sebastian nodded while Finn explained the other types: Yellow, joy. Blue, sadness. Brown, hunger, boredom- any none demanding emotion. Purple, disgust. White, fear. By the time Finn had finished explaining, Mike had walked in carrying two plates. He handed one to Finn- simple turkey on wheat.

“Okay, but what does you have being an empath have to do with what you did to Mike… I mean you removed physical injuries at seemingly no cost.” Finn said nothing. “Minus your exhaustion.” Sebastian added. Mike went to speak, but Finn shook his head. 

“Well… I don’t really have an explanation for that one in all honesty. We figured it out when I was young… El, my older sister, got a really bad cut one time, and I managed to fix. We never really figured out why I could do it, but I was able to.”

“We did agree he wouldn’t do it again.” Mike interjected. Finn rolled his eyes. 

“The only other real thing I can do is read emotions.” Finn lied. Not even Mike knew of his ability to take those emotions on himself. That one he had kept secret, from Mike, El, Rai, his parents… even Adam didn’t know what he could. Finn suppressed the thought of Adam and smiled- keeping his hair from turning white. “Anything else you need to know?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn walked the forested path south to Cindersap with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. The sky was still cloudy, and the cold air carried in the breeze that blew through the trees. Finn walked slowly, knowing he’d have to wait for Mike to catch up after running the salvaged tulips to Pierre and walking Sebastian home. Finn did have to admit though, waiting for Mike, was going to be far more enjoyable than cleaning up the farm. Though, with the new seeds Mike was going to buy, Finn knew the next couple days would be rather trying.

He tried to save the worrying about work for later as he stepped into Cindersap. He looked around, catching sight of the ranch Marnie owned. He noticed Jas playing with a jump rope, and Sam’s younger brother Vincent nearby- happily talking to her. Penny was sat under an oak tree, occasionally glancing up from the book she was reading to keep an eye on the kids. Finn threw her a small wave, but he turned away after she returned a small nod. She seemed nice, but she reminded Finn of himself- shy and not wanting to talk to people. He wanted to respect that. 

Instead, he found himself walking over to the large lake that resided in the center. He smiled as he nestled by its bank. The shoals of fish swam underneath, and he somewhat wished he would’ve brought the rod Willy had gave him and a basket. Fish would be a nice way to make money, and Mike probably wouldn’t have minded fixing some into a seafood dish. Finn guessed he could always go back and grab the pole, but a total of another forty minute walking in silence, didn’t seem worth it to Finn. He stayed still, looked out at the water, and he only moved when he heard a set of footsteps behind him. 

Walking over to him, with Jas and Vincent and by her side, was Penny. A nervous, tight smile was on her face. Jas was practically hidden behind her, and Vincent walked by her side- still looking somewhat nervous. 

“Good afternoon.” Penny said.

“Afternoon.” Finn said. He bit his lip as Penny nervously shuffled. A wave of almost second hand embarrassment rushed over him. “Do you need help with anything?” Finn asked kindly. 

“I was just wondering,” Penny started with a slight shuffle of her feet “would you mind watching the kids for a quick second while I went to the restroom? They just wanna stay outside for as long as they can incase that storm rolls back in.” Finn looked at the two kids, and he gave as gentle a smile as he could manage.

“Of course.” He said, “I have to wait on Mike anyways.”

“Thank you so much.” Penny rushed out, and Finn waved it off. 

“It’s alright, take your time.” And then, Penny was off towards the ranch with a nod. Finn looked at the two kids who stared at him blankly. Finn sighed he never really knew how to handle kids. The two of them just stared at him for a moment before Vincent asked.

“Do you like being a farmer?” In the time it had taken him to ask, Jas had moved behind his shoulder. Finn let the tension fall from his shoulders as he started to talk. He explained calmly that it was hard work, but it was good work. Jas and Vincent sat across from him while he talked about foraging, talked about Mike’s experience in the mine, and he talked about the farm itself. The two kids sat with a sparkle in their eyes. Finn got a wild idea, and he motioned for them to follow him. 

“We promised Ms. Penny we wouldn’t go very far.” Jas mumbled quietly. Vincent nodded admittedly. 

“Well.” Finn looked to the ranch, and to the bush bearing salmonberries near the entrance. “You guys promise to stay here will I go grab a couple of salmon berries?” Both kids’ eyes lit up, and they nodded admantently. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” Finn practically sprinted over to the bush, and he returned with a handful of the pink berries. He may have dropped a couple, but he returned.

“These were my favorite berries as a kid.” Finn explained as the kids started to take some friends his hands, “my grandma used to bake them into delicious pies, and my grandpa would turn them into jam.” The kids didn’t seem to care as they ate the berries, their lips staining pink. Finn smiled lightly, and Penny came back over when the last of the berries were plucked from her hands. 

They practically rounded over to her, and Finn gave a goodbye wave as they headed back over to the ranch. He looked back over to the ranch where they sat, and he looked towards both entrances- still no sign of Mike. Finn sighed, standing up from where he had crouched on the ground. His stomach growled, and he eyed the salmonberry bush were tons of more berries were still ripe for the picking. Finn shrugged, what was the harm in eating a couple more berries. 

It turned out a couple more entitled him to almost as many berries Jas and Vincent had ate combined. Sue him, he was hungry. Finn had popped another berry into his mouth, content to take another handful to the lakeside. But, it was with Finn’s luck that at the exact moment he turned to head back to his spot that, a blur of black interrupted his vision. Finn staggered, dropping the berries, and putting his head in his hands. 

“What the fuck…” He mumbled. He went to stand back up, but his body seemed stuck in a slump. Finn went wide eyed, lurching forward towards the old bark of a tree. He grabbed it tightly, and he struggled to keep himself upright. Finn knew this feeling, remembered this feeling. Narcolepsy… sleep attacks… struggling to keep himself awake. El’s reminder rang in his ears as he rested his forehead against the cool bark. 

His body struggled to react to what he told it to do. His limbs felt stiff and rough and robotic all at the same time. He let his eyes close for what must’ve been a second. It couldn’t have been longer, but he was crumpled against the ground with no memory of doing so when he opened them back up. He managed to sluggishly sit up while his body urged to fold back against the cold soil. Finn groaned, trying to force himself to stretch and keep himself awake. It worked at first, but the sleep attacks weren’t ever kind in the past… why would they be so now? 

The pattern repeated for what felt like forever. An ever growing sea of dizziness and exhaustion spread throughout his body, and it was only after the sea of exhaustion had slightly calmed that Finn managed to make his robotic limbs grip the tree bark tightly enough to pull himself back up. White strands of hair fell in his face, and Finn was panting, sweat pouring from his body like it had earlier that day. He managed to turn himself around and rest against the bark. 

He sank down it slowly, and his back was drenched with sweat by the time he sat on the ground. Finn buried his face in his hands again, trying to level his breathing and keep himself awake. The sweet taste of the salmon berries from earlier now burned sour in his mouth. Finn gagged as the taste grew, and his body hunched over itself. 

For what felt like an hour, but must’ve only been a couple minutes, Finn fought his urge to just sleep on the soft soil. In the end, Finn managed to pull himself back up, and he brought his knees up to his chest. He let his eyes switch between open and closed. “Stay awake…” Finn mumbled to himself. “Just stay awake.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn’s ears slowly adjusted to the soft drizzle of rain. Despite the sound, Finn felt surprisingly dry and… warm. The old bark of the tree that pressed into his back was replaced with that of something sturdy and warm. Finn pressed closer, and he heard a rumble in front of him. It took him a moment to realize it was soft laughter, and he felt a hand run through his hair comfortingly. Finn slowly blinked, opening his eyes to a familiar green jacket. Finn blinked, slowly raising his head up to see none other than Alex, looking down at him. 

“Morning there.” Alex said after a couple of seconds, “you feeling alright?” Alex placed his hand on his forehead and frowned. “You’re still burning up, sheesh.” 

“What happened?” Finn asked groggily, rubbing his eyes. Alex shifted slightly, and Finn felt one arm wrapped tightly around his waist. Finn tried to stop the flush climbing up his neck, and he buried his face back into Alex’s jacket which certainly wasn’t the smartest decision. Alex, didn’t seem to mind, he just chuckled, and Finn pulled his face out. 

“You tell me.” Alex said while Finn adjusted himself as best as he could. Alex’s arm wasn’t leaving his waist anytime soon, and his other hand messed with his hair. “I found you crumbled on the ground when I was out running. Your brother told me to keep an eye on you while he got Harvey… said you might’ve not been as recovered from your sickness as he thought.” 

“I’m fine now.” Finn said, “I just got fatigued is all- morning work and all that.” Alex’s eyes said enough, and Finn sighed wishing he could pull himself away. Despite his obvious annoyance, Alex didn’t say anything, and Finn adjusted to the feeling of Alex against him: warm and cozy like a bed. Finn scoffed at the thought, shaking his head, and letting the pink curls spill over his face- and then he realized. His beanie, the one he had made sure to put on, wasn’t there. Finn looked at Alex’s face trying to get any recognition that he knew about his hair, but Alex seemed focus on the canopy of leaves above him. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Alex finally said, “I dropped off those cookies, and Mike answered- told me you weren’t quite well. When I went up to visit, you were mumbling something- about a bird and the beach. I uhm… I touched your hand and you froze- stopped what you were saying and then…” Alex trailed off.

“What?” Finn asked. The dreams had been hazy for himself honestly. He remembered the colors, the warmth of the beach, and the cold depths of the ocean but past that it was blurs of feeling and sights- things that Finn couldn’t quite piece together. The static had overtaken them. 

“It’s not important.” Alex said.

“Did you notice anything else?” Finn asked. Alex raised an eyebrow, scratching the stubble on his chin.

“Nothing that I can think of.” Alex said absentmindedly, and Finn felt the hand on his waist move him closer. “Except you sleep in the tiniest ball… it’s kinda…” Alex shook his head. Finn looked up at him and shuffled a couple inches closer. Alex looked down at him, and Finn felt his cheeks burn red when a lopsided grin settled on Alex’s face. “Kinda cute.” Alex said softly, but the hesitation in his voice made Finn wonder. Confusion had crossed Alex’s face, it was in the tremble of his smile, the gloss of his eyes, and the furrow in his brown. And, Finn wanted to ask when it meant when:

“Alex, hun! Where are you?!” Finn turned around to see none other than Haley making her way over. Alex’s reaction was almost instant, and Finn barely registered the arm slipping away from his waist before he tumbled onto the ground with a slight groan. Finn looked over as the click of Haley's shoes left the path and onto the muddy ground. She made a face of disgust, but she said nothing else. Alex on the other hand, seemed rather embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck. 

“H-hey Haley.” He said, “what’re you doing out here?” Haley rolled her eyes, one hand on her hip. 

“You said we were gonna hang out after your run… when you didn’t show up I worried you’d gotten hurt.” 

“Oh no, I’m fine you know me Haley- tough as an ox.” Finn tried to ignore the wink he gave her, and he wondered if Alex’s words on the beach had been sincere. “Finn just passed out, so I’m waiting while his brother gets back with Harvey.” Finn practically withered under the glare Haley shot him. 

“Why didn’t you text me?” She asked.

“Phone died.” Alex said lamely, and Finn picked himself up off the ground, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Neither of the other two noticed while they dived into a conversation of their own. 

 

[Finn:] I’m awake and fine. Meet me at the wizard tower. Tell Harvey I’m sorry for wasting his time.

 

[Mike:] Dude what? Where’s Alex?

 

[Finn:] I told him he could go home cause I was fine. We don’t have time to mess with this. Wizard tower.

 

[Mike:] Will you come to the clinic after the wizard tower? 

 

[Finn:] No.

 

[Mike:] Okay…

 

[Mike:] Be there in five. Harvey says you’re fine, and to make sure you get proper nutrients.

 

Finn shoved his phone into his pocket, Haley had settled on the ground next to Alex, and they were already lost in their own conversation. Finn sighed.  _ So much for having a friend.  _ He started to walk away, back towards Cindersap when:

“Wait where are you going?!” Alex called. Finn turned back to him, fighting the urge to frown. Instead, he gave a bright smile. 

“I’m feeling better! Don’t worry about it!” Finn turned around, “I’ll catch you later!” And, before either of them could respond, he sprinted out of the woods. It didn’t take long- in the open space of Cindersap -for the rain to drench him. It soaked into his clothes, and Finn didn’t mind the frigid droplets splattering onto his back while he hunched over and heaved a heavy dose of pink salmonberry puke onto the evergreen grass. Finn stayed silent while the rain washed it away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavy droplets of water splashed on the wizard’s floor while Finn stood still. It was much like his last visit: the heavy tang of magic in the air, the scent of pomegranates and something sour, and the sound of fizzing potions and popping sparks of magic. Beside him, Mike stood idly, taking in the archaic structure. 

The wizard himself was over in his library, grabbing books upon books and adding them to a giant pile on a table. Mike leaned over and whispered.

“Was this what it was like last time?” His brother’s voice was hushed, and Finn shrugged. 

“More or less,” Finn admitted “he seems more put together now… last time he practically urged me to drink the potion.” Mike raised an eyebrow.

“You know you probably shouldn’t have just drank some random drink a strange man in a tower gives you. That’s how people in fairy tales get put to sleep, turned into a monster, or locked in a tower of their own unable to leave it.” Finn shrugged.

“Tasted fine.” 

“Is that all you have to say?” Mike asked, “you think your anxiety would’ve made you question whether drinking a fizzy home brew was a smart idea.”

“Potion.” The wizard said suddenly, “not some hipster esque home brew as you’d like to put it, lycanthrope.” Finn looked over to him, he was at the table, pulling out specific books and setting others aside, mumbling other his breath that they were for later. Finn decided not to comment. 

“Don’t call me that.” Mike growled, “I’m not technically a lycanthrope- not entirely.” 

“Of course, I knew that.” The wizard said, “you’re what we’d call a strange phenomenon- not naturally occurring.”

“Is a werewolf really “natural” at all?” Finn asked. The wizard shot him a look, and Finn bit his tongue. 

“Yes.  While they are the victims of curses originally, if their curse spreads then well… it becomes a part of nature in a sense.” The wizard pulled out a book, “you on the hand.” He pointed to Mike curiously, “Are quite a strange one. Not naturally occuring. Not induced through a curse. Not exposed to a single lycanthrope your whole life… what is it exactly that causes your transformations… I wonder.” 

“You’re not the first.” Mike said, a hint of defeat in his voice. “If you came to talk to me about what I am and how, then I don’t know what to tell you that you don’t already know.”

“Of course, of course.” The wizard said, “I’m sure we can figure out your mystery… and yours as well.” Finn felt a strange chill pass through him at the mention. “Not quite an empath, not quite a healer, not quite anything… you’re strange too, aren’t you?” Finn opened up his mouth to speak- “nevertheless, we have business to discuss regarding the Juminos.” 

“The Juminos?” Mike asked, “did you just make that up on the spot or something?”

“Of course not!” The wizard said, “they’re forest spirits. Your brother saw a glimpse of them, correct?” Finn nodded. “Good. Then you’ll be inclined to believe me when I think there is a reason they showed themselves to you.” The wizard heaved up a dusty textbook from the bottom of the text. “Come over here, unlike you- mister partial lycanthrope, part something else -I don’t bite.” 

“I don’t bite…” Mike grumbled as they walked over, and Finn laughed. The wizard raised an eyebrow.

“I am surprised you’re laughing so soon. Was the encounter in the woods not detrimental to your mood like the spirits predicted?” 

“What happened in the woods?” Mike asked. 

“Nothing.” Finn said quickly, “let’s not talk about it.” 

“A fateful encounter meant for two, interrupted too soon. Sorrow drowns the empath like a monsoon.” The wizard recited. Finn’s face dropped, and he crossed his arms. 

“Did something happen with Alex?” Mike asked, and Finn sighed.

“Not important.” 

“It could’ve been.” The wizard pointed out, and Finn let out an emotionless chuckle. 

“Can we move on from this topic?” Finn asked, and the wizard waved him off.

“For an empath you’re not a fan of emotions… quite the conundrum… perhaps it has to do with your little… incidents that have already happened.” 

“Incidents?” Mike looked over at him, “like side effects from his healing powers?” 

“Correct: the daydream this morning, the narcolepsy, stomach sickness. Anyways, not important, today would be the worst for you… though the day of the egg festival- this Wednesday, I would avoid… sharp objects, luck is not on your side that day. Back to Juminos.” Mike seemed like he wanted to push, but the wizard had flipped open the book already and was pointing to a paragraph. “Read.” Finn tilted his head, doing his best to read the old, faded text.

_ Juminos, also known as nature spirits, are mischievous creatures at their core. Some have a benevolent nature about them… others lack such a kind hearted sense of self. Juminos care for nature above all other things- their homes are the trees, the creeks, the boulders which have slowly become corrupt with the touch of humanity. Due to this, the Juminos relationship with humans has been severely severed.  _

_ However, in some rural areas, the bond may be able to be mended. Some juminos show themselves to people they believe to be true of heart and of self. With these sightings, people may be able to find requests the Juminos leave: whether it be tasks to complete, items to gather, or a goal to accomplish- if done -the Juminos will typically provide bountiful gifts and rewards. Maybe, just maybe, these people the Juminos reach out to can reach out to them, and heal the bond we have so greatly ruined.  _

 

Finn read over the wall of text once more to make sure he got the gist of it before looking back at the wizard. Mike seemed puzzled, but he looked up a couple seconds after Finn. The three of them stayed in silence for a couple seconds. Finally, the wizard spoke. 

“I believe, if you check out the Juminos- together -that you might find a clue to what they so greatly desire. And, perhaps, you can get something in return. Whether that be answers you two so greatly crave, or something that the town needs at its core… I can’t be for sure. The spirits can’t tell me everything. Perhaps, your sister would be good in that regard, but she won’t be here til the fourteenth of Summer… along with the twin brother. A storm and a medium… how well that combination works I don’t know…” The wizard trailed off, staring emptily into space.

“So, we should go check out the community center?” Finn asked, and his few words seemed to break the wizard from whatever trance he had fallen into.

“Yes, sometimes in the next couple days around twilight.” The wizard said, “now, before you two go, I need to give you both something.” Then, without another word, he was heading off to a potion shelf grabbing two very different looking bottles and rushing back over.  

A blue one, with a green foam on top was shoved into Finn’s hands. And, the other, a magenta colored one that smelled like roses and salmonberries was shoved into Mike’s. “These will help you both with very different problems.” Finn went to take off the lid and chug his lid, but the wizard fretted, and Finn held the bottle loosely at his side. “Not now of course.”

“What are they for then?” Mike asked. 

“Well… that depends on when you need them.” The wizard answered. 

“Can you not give us some cryptic bullshit?” Mike asked, and Finn was inclined to agree.

“Very well, for you Michael, that potion will help suppress your transformation without penalty, only take a drop and you won’t have to deal with it for the night; however, if you use it to much- your body could become immune to it, so be warned. For you Finn, consider that potion a reset on your emotional state. It’ll wash away any heightened… feelings… you might experience. It’ll curb your irrationality. And now, it is best that you two leave my tower right about-” He paused for a couple ticks of a clock, “now.” Then, without another word, the wizard ushered the two of them out his door. 

When they were outside in the middle of the downpour, Finn looked back to the mossy stone of the tower and sighed. 

“Well… that just happened.” Mike said, holding his jacket over himself and Finn like a makeshift umbrella. Finn appreciated the reprieve. 

“Looks like we’ll be heading to the community center soon.” Finn said as they started walking. Mike snorted. 

“Looks like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading as always! I've been working on other projects and such so this had to take backseat for a bit again, but I'll do my best to get more chapters out along with my schedule. There's just not enough hours and energy in the day some times. Hope you've all had a good start to the new year ! <3


	8. Alcohol Nightmares and Angered Avoidance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey~ warning ~this chapter has a heavy assault based scene starting at the 3rd section, the one beginning with the lines "The Spring air was still tinged with that of salmon berries and that of fresh rain water." If you are bothered by that kind of imagery and scenery, please skip it and look at the end for a non in depth description of what happened during the rest of the chapter.

The air was dusty and the floorboards creaked in a similar way that they had the last time Finn walked through the community center. Sparse rays of moonlight danced through the holes in the roof illuminating him and Mike as they rummaged around the abandoned building. While Mike seemed ready to go home already, Finn was still engaged in trying to lure the juminos out. It was another ten minutes of countless searching that Finn heard Mike growl- like an actual growl -of frustration.

“Are you sure you actually saw something here?” Mike asked annoyed, “cause I ain’t seeing shit besides dust and mold.” Finn flinched at the inflection of his voice. Mike was bordering on Rai territory of anger. And, even though Finn knew his brother’s anger wasn’t directed towards him, an angry Mike was someone that Finn hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with. Then again, the past couple days had been rather… rough on both of them. 

After their long morning of cleanup, they had returned from the wizard tower to see that the new storm had brought in more sticks and debris which had meant an evening cleaning on top of their already existing exhaustion. Then, the next morning had seen them up early to get some seeds planted and watered, and then Mayor Lewis had dropped by with Marnie asking for their help painting eggs for the egg festival on Wednesday. Finn hadn’t been able to say no, and he and Mike had spent the rest of that day painting eggs in colors ranging from pastel blue to a fiery red. 

And then the day after, Monday, Mike had made a venture up to Robin’s house to talk about plans getting a coop built. Finn don’t know what had happened, but his brother came back with a sour grimace and plans of a chicken coop that would be built after the egg festival. When he tried to push the subject of his brother’s foul mood, Finn had only gotten the same answers he had given at the wizard tower thrown back at him. Which was how, on Tuesday night, he found himself avoiding Mike while they tried to get a sign of the juminos.

If Finn had known they were going to be so difficult, then he would’ve made the journey up here alone sooner. He had already searched the old pantry and kitchen and Mike had searched the vault and the furnace and checked out the aquarium which meant there was only one room left to check before they headed out: Finn to the saloon and Mike back to their house. Despite the wizard’s potion, Mike had transformed every night as some form of stress relief, and Finn was happy to seek shelter at the bar until Mike would be passed out in his room. 

Finn shook his head, wishing Mike would just talk to him about whatever had gotten under his skin, but he knew that was a pointless thought. Instead, he shelved it for later, and he looked around what must’ve used to be a playroom for kids. There were boxes of old board games, soiled with water, what appeared to be old and tattered drawings with crumbled crayons beside them, and a small purple table and chair that had seem to be absorbed into the ground surrounded by moss, vines, and grass. 

After looking around with no sight of the juminos, Finn was ready to call it quits, they’d been up here for- a quick glance at his phone -almost two hours with no sign of them. Yet, it was when he was putting his phone up that he caught sight of it, a quick flash of gold in the moonlight. Finn blinked, moving forward to where a small creature was holding up a piece of parchment paper.

The jumino itself was small, maybe the size of a rather round bunny with purple skin and two antennas and a small but present smile on its face. Carefully, Finn plucked the paper from his hand. In a burst of green summer  leaves, the jumino was gone leaving Finn alone. He ran his fingers over the paper, and it had an almost earthy smell clinging to it. 

“Mike!” Finn yelled, “Get in here, I got something.” Finn listened as Mike’s heavy footsteps got closer, and he heard his brother let out a thankful laugh as he came in the room. It was the first time he’d laughed since returning from Robin’s. Finn felt a bit of relief spread through his body while Mike peered over his shoulder. 

“A letter?” Mike asked, “did you just find this or something?” Finn shook his head examining the folded letter. It was sealed with what looked like a bit of dirt and mud, and Finn peeled it off. 

“No, there was a jumino here… just handed me the letter… and poofed away or something- I don’t really know.” Finn said. Mike reached for the letter and momentarily, their hands brushed. Finn got a bitter pang in his heart and a flash of irrational anger. He tugged himself deeper into Mike’s emotions, and he felt a heavy wave of deep seeded anger sprouting inside him. He staggered the tiniest bit, detaching himself from Mike’s emotions. Whatever had happened, was something that Finn needed to take himself away from and process, and he could talk about it with Mike later.

“You good man?” Mike asked, unfolding the letter. Finn nodded, crossing his arms. Mike said nothing, instead holding the paper down at a height Finn could see it. At first glance, it didn’t seem special, just a bunch of squiggles and blurred images, but slowly, with a haze in his eyes and the smell of spring in the air Finn watched the squiggles morph into words and the pictures turned into tangible. “Well I’ll be damned…” Mike grumbled. 

The paper didn’t seem special at all really. It seemed rather like a shopping list with images. “Spring foraging… summer… fall… winter.” Mike grumbled looking at the paper. Finn saw a couple others. “What does this mean?” Finn stayed silent, focusing on one thing at the very bottom of the paper. He pointed to it, and Mike raised an eyebrow. “Reward: Bridge Repair?” 

“Remember what that paragraph said?” Finn asked, “they can take things and give something in return… a sort of equilibrium I guess. We help them. They help us. I’m assuming, we give them everything on this list, and then we get something in return.” 

“What kind of reward is a bridge repair?” Mike asked sounding rather unimpressed. Finn bit back his reply, letting Mike continue his rant, “the wizard said answers. How does a bridge repair give us answers?”

“Mike, if you know that then you also know what the wizard said.” Mike said nothing, tucked the paper into his pocket, and then his footsteps grew distant. 

“Whatever, we have what we came here for. I’m going home. I’ll catch you later.” Finn heard the old doors of the community center creak open a couple seconds later, and then slam close without any hesitation. Finn flinched. The lingering, toxic touch of Mike’s anger still resonated within him, and Finn repressed the anger’s urge to charge after his brother and yell at him. But, he managed to keep his own emotions in control of Mike’s. It was a process of evening his breathing out and thinking good thoughts, yet Mike’s anger receded until it was out of his system. 

Finn sighed, resting against one of the weathered walls. While Mike’s anger was surely the most potent in their house, the wizard had been right when he mentioned that sorrow would drown him like a monsoon. It wasn’t constant, but it did pop up and bloom. And, the moment that his sorrow opened up its sickly and poisonous petals, Finn’s day would be ruined. However, he had managed to find what his sadness correlated with… or rather who it correlated with: Alex. 

Since the day at the wizard tower, Finn’s interactions with Alex had been brief and tense at best. For once, it wasn’t on Finn’s end. Alex seemed genuinely conflicted when they talked, and he would often scatter after a quick hello. Finn had tired himself out trying to force his mind to not overplay the interactions and then when he inevitably did, rationalize them. It had a pointless struggle. 

Finn sighed, catching sight of the curls of his hair turning a deep blue. He knew he should follow Mike’s footsteps home, bury himself in one too many bowls of ice cream, and then fall asleep in his bed. On another hand, the dark confines of the old community center- while creepy -were distant and alone. Finn could get out a solid cry- no interruptions. And yet, the most appealing option was too drunk to feel. So, with that in mind, Finn started walking. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cheers, conversations, and laughs filled Finn’s ears as he took chug after chug of some of Pelican Town’s strongest ale. It was only his second glass, but Finn could already feel a comfortable buzz settling over him. Usually, Finn would’ve been bothered by the environment- loud and crowded. Now, he appreciated the distraction. 

“You have quite a strange aura.” Emily commented in front of him, serving him another glass of foaming beer. “Quite a mix of emotions.” Finn raised an eyebrow while he took a sip from the mug. He hadn’t quite talked much to Emily- didn’t know her all that well. Her hair was a deep blue, and she wore a vibrant red dress. 

“Do I now?” Finn asked as he set the glass down. “What can you tell about me?” Emily stared at him directly in the eyes for a couple second, and Finn- for once -didn’t bother looking away. 

“You’re sad about something… no… someone.” Emily started, “an old hurt- and a new one.” Finn hoped he didn’t physically react on the outside as much as he did on the inside. Was there any chance, any chance at all, that Emily was an empath of some kind? “You’re nervous a lot, people make you uncomfortable. They have perceptions you can’t control, and you don’t like that very much.” Finn maintained his composure, testing the waters a bit. 

“And how- do tell -could you know all of that?” Emily smirked, and then she laughed, playfully slapping his hand. 

“Well, first part is just cause its true of most people, everyone always has someone who makes them sad. Call it human nature. And the second one is cause I’ve seen you in here, you always seem quite skittish. Tonight is the first time you’ve seen somewhat comfortable.” Finn felt the stress alleviate from him, and a pang of sadness he hadn’t met someone like him. It would’ve been a first after all. 

Their brief interaction ended when Clint called Emily over. She gave a quick apology, but Finn waved her off, chugging the rest of his beer and taking in his surroundings. Mayor Lewis and Marnie were sharing a table, sipping wine and talking about something Finn couldn’t decipher. Leah and Elliot were at a table, drinking the same beer Finn was and having a simple conversation. He was half tempted to join them, but he decided against it in the end. 

Shane was by the fireplace, sipping from a beer and scrolling through his phone. He looked up at one point, raising an eyebrow, and Finn quickly looked away. He had zero desire to deal with Shane tonight- not without Mike to distract him. In the game room, Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian were playing pool per usual. Abigail was helping Sebastian get a good shot, and by the looks of it Sam was calling them both cheaters. And then, there was Alex and Haley, sat at a table in the corner, drinking and laughing. Finn felt a pang in his heart when Alex caught him staring and a frown appeared his on face. Finn looked away ordering another round when Emily got back.

He didn’t take his off the screen playing a gridball minus to have idle conversation with Emily and Gus for the rest of the night. At least, until he heard footsteps approaching. At first, he brushed them off as someone leaving until the chair was scooted out beside him. Finn turned, hoping and expecting Alex, but surprised to see it was Shane offering a… smile?

“No one sitting here, right?” Shane asked. Finn shook his head, taking another sip of the beer, and ignoring the signals in his brain to leave. “That’s good news for me then.” Shane laughed, and Finn had to admit the gesture looked a tad unfamiliar on his face, as well as the kindness placed in his voice. “How ya doing man?” Shane asked.

“I’m alright, long past couple days.” Finn started, taking a sip from his beer, “ready for the egg festival tomorrow honestly. Could use the stress relief.” Shane chuckled. 

“I can cheers to that.” Shane said raising his glass and taking a swig. Finn smiled. “You a gridball fan? Noticed you watching the game.” It was Finn’s turn to chuckle.

“Keep in mind Mike is my brother.” Finn reminded him, “I went to plenty of Gridball games, and I learned to appreciate it.” Shane nodded. “How’d you get into it?” 

“I used to play a while back.” Shane admitted, “was pretty decent too… but life happens and you have to give up some things.” Finn gave a cynical laugh to that, taking another swig of his beer. His light buzz had started to turn to full on drunk. 

“Amen.” Finn said, not caring how loud he was. “I uh, used to draw a lot- got a couple pieces in some art museums, and then life took that dream and tore it to shreds.” Shane clinked his mug with Finn’s own. Perhaps, just perhaps, Shane wasn’t as bad as he originally thought. 

It was another five rounds that Finn started to really enjoy Shane’s company. And, the alcohol might’ve strengthened his ability to share emotions because when Shane got riled up over gridball so did Finn. When Shane laughed, Finn laughed. When Shane got another round, even though Finn knew he couldn’t handle it, he got another round. 

Emily jokingly had to shush the two of them a couple times, but there was no malice in her voice. And even Leah joined the duo, Elliot having went back to his cottage at the beach. Leah had left not long after, warning Finn that he was going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning. Finn had snorted, loudly saying: fuck it, before chugging down- not only his glass of beer- but Shane’s glass. Shane had slapped him on the back, chanting, and the warning had lost in itself the wave of drunkenness that washed over Finn. 

There however, was one clear moment of sobriety that pierced the veil the beer had given him. He’d done and forgotten about Mike, brooding at home. He’d forgotten about the jumino, their reward, and the wizard. Before Finn really realized, Alex was on the stool beside him, his eyes filled with worry and concern, a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey… Finn… you good dude?” Finn blinked, and Alex sighed- pinching the bridge of his nose. Finn let out a boisterous laugh, giving Alex a small shove. Shane joined in the laughter behind him. “Jesus… Finn… you’re trashed. Emily how much has he had to drink?” Finn missed Emily’s response while he stared at Alex. His lips. His eyes. His nose. Finn gave a small smile, but he frowned when Alex tugged him a bit forward- almost off the stool. 

“Wha’ ya doin?” Finn slurred out, “le’ go a me.” Alex sighed.

“Did you not hear me?” Alex asked, “I told you I’m gonna get you out of here and walk you home. You’re done for the night.”

“I’m fine Adam.” Finn said, and Alex stared blankly. 

“Who?”Alex asked, “never mind, that is not important. Come on Finn.” Alex tugged him forward again. Finn tried to shove him off, but Alex stopped him with a groan. “Please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be buddy. I’ll carry you if I have to.” 

“Why you in a rush?” Finn asked accusingly, reminded of the forest the other day. “Gotta get back to Haley and make the princess happy, right?” Finn could see the purple strands of his hair already, “can’t ‘ave me gettin in your way. Can we?”

“You’re drunk, so I’m just going to ignore all that and help you home.” Alex tugged him again, catching him off of the barstool. 

“Woah woah woah.” Shane said from behind him. Finn barely registered it, but Shane- in one quicky, sluggish motion, pushed Alex away from him. Alex stiffened, and Finn said nothing. “If he wants to stay, then he can stay. He’s an adult Alex.” 

Finn looked over his shoulder to see Shane’s face locked into a tight grimace, and Alex’s face one of defeat. 

“Are you sure, Finn?” Alex asked. 

“I alread-” Shane started, but Alex shot him a glare. 

“I’m not talking to you.” Alex retorted, “so shut it Shane.” Shane grumbled beside him. Alex turned to him, looking him directly in the eyes, “Finn, are you okay?” Finn nodded, and Alex tore his eyes away, throwing up his in surrender. “Fine then… see you at the egg festival tomorrow.”  Alex’s anger radiated off in thick waves, and Finn almost wanted to apologize while he stormed out. Yet, the way Finn had been treated by him lately surfaced at the front of his memory, and Finn’s desire to do that crumbled. 

“You alright man?” Shane asked, “you seem a bit unwell.” 

“M’fine.” Finn said, “for Yoba’s sake… I am gonna head home though.” He started walking towards the door when Shane started walking beside him. “What’re ya doin?” Finn asked, and Shane shrugged. 

“Can’t let you walk home alone. What kinda friend would I be then?” Finn smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Spring air was still tinged with that of salmon berries and that of fresh rain water. Finn walked in tandem besides Shane as they made their way to the town square. For the most part, Shane was silent, looking around, and Finn was doing the same. It was only after the short walk to town square that Finn went to turn to the path back to the farm- only to be stopped by Shane’s hand landing on his shoulder. Finn turned to him.

“What’s up?” Finn asked taking in Shane’s appearance. His purplish hair was somewhat messy though it didn’t look bad. He had his usual five o’ clock shadow, but his cheeks were flushed and his eyes had a glaze in them. The strange illumination of the streetlights made his eyes sparkle in a way that Finn hadn’t seen before. Shane said nothing, just looked at him up and down. “Shane?” Finn asked, “are you alright?” 

It only took three actions for Finn to get the answer to that question. The first was one of Shane’s arms pushing him closer. The second was one of his hands grabbing a fistful of Finn’s hair. And, the third, was Shane’s lips messily and desperately crashing against his own. Finn went wide eyed, and Shane grabbed two handfuls of his jacket pulling him closer. 

Shane had the heavy tang of beer and sweat on his tongue, and Finn didn’t like the taste. He pushed off of Shane, falling on his ass, but ending the abrupt assault on his mouth. He stopped himself from gagging, and he went to stand back up and deal with whatever Shane was doing when-

He felt Shane’s rough hands against his chest, pushing him back down to the ground. Finn let out a small yell when his head smacked against the ground, and the blur of alcohol was replaced by a sobering throb at the base of his skull.  Shane’s hand quickly went to his mouth, and Finn started to struggle, to try and kick or punch Shane off of him, but Shane was bigger than him- stronger too. His body was heavy, and Finn couldn’t stop tears from welling in his when one of Shane’s hand dove under the waistline of his jeans. Finn let out a muffled cry, trying to pull himself out from Shane, but he was pinned- stuck in place while Shane’s lips started to leave marks on his neck. 

“It’s okay baby.” Shane panted, “you’ll feel good, just let it happen.” Shane’s eyes were heavily lidded, and his words were hushed. “Come on baby, let me take care of you.” Finn managed to move enough to get a grip on Shane’s face and shove it away from his neck. It only resulted in Shane gripping his arm tightly and slowly starting to grind his body into Finn’s own. Finn hated the fact that he groaned and the fact that it felt good. It disgusted him. Surely, for the love of Yoba, surely someone would be out and would help him, would tear Shane off of him.

A panicked look around only seemed to destroy any tangible hope. Most of the lights were off, no one was out this late, and they were tucked away on the side of the path- hidden by a canopy of shrubbery. “That’s it baby, you’re starting to get there.” Shane moaned, letting go off Finn’s arm and starting to unbutton his own jeans. Finn struggled harder, thrashing violently but that only seemed to make Shane’s eyes more eager and hungry. “Can’t wait to get all of me can you?” Shane asked, “you’re gonna feel good Finn. I imagined doing this to you all night.” 

Finn tore his gaze away from Shane, only to be forced to look back except it wasn’t Shane above him anymore. It was Adam. Finn felt all the hair on his body stand up. Yet, the person in front of him was most certainly his old flame. The dark hair, the stubbled chin, and his eyes the color of honey. It was still, Shane’s clothes covering him, but the smooth and deadly voice that he heard was certainly Adam’s. “Miss me Fei.” 

Adam removed his hand from Finn’s mouth and Finn tried to yell- only for it to be choked out in a gargle of spit as Adam crashed his own lips into Finn’s. Finn gagged this time as Adam’s tongue invaded his mouth. At the same time, his soft hands touched over Finn’s body leaving an almost acidic burn on his skin. Adam broke away from the kiss momentarily, straddling Finn while his hands cupped Finn’s cheeks in an almost romantic notion. 

“You’re gonna do what I tell you… or we’re gonna have a problem.” Adam said calmly, “no yelling, no running, nothing that’s not gonna me make happy okay. If you do, then I won’t be good to you… alright?” Finn whimpered, looking away from Adam’s familiar face. “Look at me.” Adam whispered close to his skin. Finn didn’t didn’t budge. Adam sighed, cupping his jaw, and roughly jerking his face over. “I said look at me Finn!” Adam said, anger rising in his voice. Finn made eye contact, and he withered under Adam’s stare. “Good good… now here’s what’s gonna happen, you’re gonna crawl over to that bush and lay down. Alright? And then, I’m gonna make you feel good baby.”

“Adam please…” Finn whispered, “jus-” Finn stopped when Adam’s lips pressed against his own, soft and tender for the first time. A hand ran through his hair, and Finn felt more tears well up in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to die when Adam pulled away.

“If you do what I want you to, then I’ll be real kind… I promise. But, if you don’t well… then I’ll have to be rough.” Adam started grinding against him again, and Finn’s hips bucked out of habit. He let out a muffled sob. “See your body knows what it wants… it wants me baby.” Adam stopped moving and groaned. With a shaky breath and a whimper, Finn started to move when Adam’s weight pressed off of him. A hand trailed down his body ready to grab him if he tried to do anything. Finn took a shaky breath, laid himself under the nettles hidden away from the path. Adam moved behind him, mimicking his movements in a predatory fashion. 

The moment they were out of sight, Adam pounced on him. Hands flew to his jeans tugging them down, and Finn gasped when Adam’s lips started kissing down his torso, and his hands tugged at the waistband of Finn’s boxers. “Almost time baby.” Adam whispered, and Finn tried to not look down at Adam as his rugged face contorted into a devious and disgusting  mixture of pleasure and pride, “It’ll be just like back in Zuzu, and you’ll be mine again. I just need to remind you of how good I am to you.” 

Adam’s fingers danced under the waistband of Finn’s boxers. In some sort of false hope, Finn wished this was some side effect of his healing power: a hallucination that he wouldn’t have to deal with. Yet, Adam’s lips drew close to his, and Finn sucked in a breath when a spike of pain shot through his body. Adam groaned while Finn let out a yell that was muffled by the sloppy kiss. Finn felt like he was suffocating.

“Sorry, maybe I’m not gonna be as gentle as I promised.” And, it was those words that caused Finn to lay against the hard grass and just not move. Above him, Adam grunted and moaned and kissed him and tugged his hair and his hips were rolling, but Finn felt nothing. He heard Adam’s pants get desperate and needy, felt Adam grip his shoulders tightly, and tense up before spilling out a slew of curses as he rocked his hips into Finn’s a few more times. Finn’s body too jerked once or twice, and he felt his toes curls and his back arch for a moment before he collapsed against the cold grass once more. 

Adam’s sweaty body pressed down into his, and Finn felt relieved when he felt Adam pull out. An arm covered his chest, and Finn smelled the familiar scent of Adam’s cinnamon and chestnut cologne. Gently, Adam’s hand cupped his cheek, and Finn watched a set of kisses get placed on his neck until eventually Adam went for his lips. Finn was too tired to fight him off as Adam climbed on top of him again. That same hungry look Shane had was present in his cold eyes, a flicker of malice in them as his hand ran through Finn’s hair. “I think I could go for another round…” Adam remarked. 

“B-b-but you said.” Finn stuttered out. Adam was warm, his mocha colored skin, pressing oh so close. A small smile was on his face.

“I know baby… but I need more… I need more of you.” Adam’s lips met his neck, and they were hard enough to bruise. “I know you miss me baby… I know you miss me.” Finn whined, back arching as Adam continued his assault. “Oh yeah… that’s it Finn.... oh Finn… Finn… Finn.” His voice seemed stuck on that word, and Finn braced himself as his hands dipped lower and lower. Finn’s body shook as he gripped his shoulders tightly and his beautiful eyes and smile morphed into something else, the honey color turning dark like the sky above him. 

But, thank Yoba, that at the moment that Adam’s fingers danced below his waist line that a voice shouting his name boomed through the entire valley. Finn went wide eyed, body jolting upwards. The night sky and spring air changed: abruptly turning into that of his room. 

Finn gasped, a hand clutching his chest. The heavy blankets fell off of him as well as the ghost of Adam’s hands and touch. Warm tears poured from his eyes, and Finn couldn’t get them to stop. Finn buried his face in his hands, letting out a choked sob. It was just a bad dream… just a bad dream. Adam wasn’t here. Shane wouldn’t have done that. He was safe. 

It took some time, but the tears stopped, and Finn took in a haggard breath. Soft sunlight poured in through the windows, and Finn gently laid back in his bed, letting his head hit the cushion of his pillow. He heard the chirping of birds outside, the sound of the shower running, and the sound of his breathing. Finn sighed, brushing his now brown locks off of his face. All was good… well… until he felt an arm wrap around his waist and pull him close.

Finn almost jumped out of his skin as he was pulled against someone, someone warm. He turned his head enough to see Shane’s half opened eyes, messy hair, and hickey adorned neck beside him. 

“Too early man…” Shane grumbled, sounding quite out of it, “stay here a bit longer.” Finn said nothing as Shane pressed a kiss to the back of his neck and promptly started snoring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finn laid quietly in his bed, hair damp and the sheets smelling like laundry detergent. Shane had up and disappeared in the time it took Finn to shower. He had seemed quite frazzled when he woke up and oddly distant. Finn had sighed, and resigned himself to his daydreams, pulling out his phone and shooting a quick text to Rai and El. 

 

[Finn:] Hey… question.

 

[El:] What, it’s early?

 

[Rai:] For once I can agree with El.

 

[El:] At least you have some sense of a brain.

 

[Finn:] How did you two get over hooking up with someone?

 

[Rai:] Wait… there’s no chance you actually.. You would never

 

[El:] Wow. I could’ve consulted ancient tacticians, and they two would’ve never predicted this conversation.

 

[Finn:] Are you guys really just that wonder struck. It’s not like I’m hideously deformed.

 

[El:] Well yes, it is quite shocking that you of all people would do a one and done.

 

[Rai:] Wow, I’m agreeing with El again, what a twist. You get laid, El makes sense.  Crazy things happening today

 

[El:] I usually make sense. It just goes over your head cause you’re an idiot. 

 

[Rai:] Wow El, so clever. 

 

[El:] You make fun of it, but we both know had I made an argument with actual points you would’ve missed them all. Childish retorts work better on you. 

 

[Finn:] Guys, come on.

 

[Rai:] Fine, you want my advice, you bop it, you drop it. You had fun?

 

[Finn:] … I mean yeah. I think. I was really really drunk.

 

[Rai:] Wow… drunk Finn got laid. Sentence I never thought I would ever type. 

 

[Finn:] Haha, hilarious. 

 

[El:] I am inclined to agree with Rai. If the guy doesn’t seem to push it, and you don’t wanna push it- let it be. Simple. 

 

[Rai:] Yep. Or you make a fuck buddy out of it. 

 

[Finn:] I think I’ll pass then. I just feel guilty. 

 

[Rai:] Don’t.

 

[El:] I agree. There’s no point. If you want to apologize for it, then go ahead. But, you shouldn’t feel guilty. 

 

Finn bit his lip. His guilt wasn’t exactly focused on Shane, rather, Alex. He’d been an asshole at the bar when Alex had tired to be nothing but nice. But, he did have to admit, facing Shane was something he didn’t want to do. 

 

[Finn:] Thanks guys. I’m gonna head off and get ready. They’re celebrating the egg festival in town today, so I should get going it starts at nine.

 

[Rai:] Ew, remind me to never go to things like that when I get there.

 

[El:] Same.

 

Finn sighed, tucking the phone into his pocket. He heard Mike downstairs, cooking up a quick breakfast. Finn could only imagine what his brother what was going to say about Shane, but maybe his sour mood would keep him from broaching the topic. Finn rolled his eyes, sitting up from his bed and deciding to get ready for the day. Nearly, but thankfully not, he almost tripped on Shane’s jacket that was left on the floor. Finn groaned, looked like he’d be paying Shane a visit soon even if he didn’t want to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya thanks for reading this chapter! It was finished a bit ago as well as another one, but I wasn't able to get around to editing it~ I appreciate you all for reading as always. For those of you who had to skip the third section, it starts with Shane walking Finn home, Shane starting to assault him, and then Shane morphing into Adam- Finn's ex midway through the assault. Finn wakes up at home, realizing it was a bad dream slash slightly morphed flashback, triggered by having a drunken one night stand with Shane which he starts to show signs of regrets with in a text conversation with El and Rai.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for checking out my fic, its my first one I've ever posted. I just really feel in love with Stardew Valley, the characters, the relationship, pretty much everything. Leave me any feedback whether you hated it or loved it, let me know. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I do enjoy writing this, so I doubt it'll be super long. So yeah, thanks for reading! <3


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